I Feel the Earth Move
by HPfanonezillion
Summary: Sebastian moves to be with Dave in San Francisco and they start the rest of their life together. There will be many tears, both happy ones and sad ones, as well as a lot of lovely fluff. This is the last in a series that started with Give All My Secrets Away, then What I See, and finally a one shot series called I Can't Say No to You. Check them out if you haven't already.
1. Chapter 1

_Author's note: Here is the first of the final in the Smythofsky trilogy that I am writing with the help of my bestie Lacey (AKA actresswithoutastage). This will follow Dave and Sebastian as they go about the rest of their lives together. Possibly some new additions later on. I hope you enjoy and if you haven't yet, please check out all my other Smythofsky works that you can find by going over to my profile. And I have a few one shoots planned for later on (one is already written, but it will have to wait)._

_Please feel free to review and let me know what you think.  
_

_Happy reading!  
_

I Feel the Earth Move

A Future!Smythofsky Fanfiction

By Danielle Cheri

Chapter One

"I miss you, baby." Sebastian said as he reclined on the couch in his house in Columbus.

"I know, Sebastian. But I can't leave right now. I'm trying to negotiate a new contract for one of my players and it's getting pretty thick." Dave sat down in his favorite chair in his own house in San Francisco.

"I want to run something by you."

"What's that?"

"I want to move to California. I don't want just the weekends every six months. I want every day. Go to bed with you. Wake up with you."

Dave was silent.

"Baby, say something." Sebastian begged softly.

"I do a lot of traveling during the season. I got to keep an eye on this one guy. Mitch Donavan can get pretty wild."

"So I've heard." Sebastian chuckled. "But I don't mind you being on the road for a few days at a time as long as I can be with you three weeks out of every month. Say it's okay, baby." He begged. "Because I've already been working on getting the information to take the California bar and applying to firms out there."

Dave was so glad that Sebastian wanted to move with him. "I say okay. As long as you're sure."

"I am. I want to. Without my dad…I've been kind of lost this last year."

"Yeah."

"So when do you think?"

"I think…when can you get here?" Dave chuckled.

Sebastian chuckled. "I'm going to apply for the exam in October. I need to move all residency and stuff. And I'm going to take a review course so I have it all down. I have plenty in savings to help you out until then."

"I wasn't worried about that, babe."

"Well, I was."

"I hate to cut this off Sebastian, but I have a meeting first thing in the morning. And it's even later there. Don't you have court?"

"I do. I'll talk to you tomorrow, baby. I love you."

"Ti amo, carrissimo."

Sebastian giggled. "I love when you speak Italian to me."

"I love that you giggle like a schoolgirl when I do it."

"Goodnight, baby."

"Goodnight."

* * *

"This is the last box." Dave said, sitting it down on the floor of his living room. "And you look beat. I'll order supper. You go stretch out on the couch. But first," he pulled Sebastian to him by his belt loops and pressed a kiss to his mouth. "I'm so glad you're finally here."

"Mmm, me too." Sebastian purred against Dave's lips. He stepped back and stretched. "Next time I take that trip, I'm flying. I can't be in a car that long alone again."

"Sounds good." Dave gently pushed him toward the couch. "Take a nap."

Sebastian kicked off his shoes and stretched out on the large, plush sofa. He watched Dave as he came back into the room with a blanket and draped it across him. Sebastian grabbed his hand and kissed his palm. "Thank you."

"What are you in the mood for, babe? Chinese? Italian? Pizza?"

Sebastian stroked his thumb along the back of Dave's hand. "Pizza sounds perfect. The others sound like too much effort."

Dave chuckled and kissed his forehead. "Okay. I'll wake you when it gets here."

He nodded and rolled over on the couch.

The phone rang before Dave started dialing the number for the delivery place.

"Hello?" A pause. "Signora, please calm down….Sasha, si può essere una reazione esagerata…Hai parlato con lui?...Then I suggest that's what you do. If I have any calls from press, I'll just tell them as I always do, that it's a rumor. That's all it is, Sasha. You and Mitch were both at that party, so you know who he went home with."

Sebastian was lulled to sleep by the sound of his boyfriend placating the woman further.

* * *

Dave kissed Sebastian awake later that evening. "Pizza is here, babe."

"Too tired to eat right now." Sebastian mumbled.

Dave kissed him again. "Then why don't you go to bed, babe? You've been going constantly for days."

"Only if you're not too far behind. My first night, I need you there to know It's not all a dream."

"It's not, babe." He kissed Sebastian again. "You sure you don't want anything to eat?"

He rolled off the couch and stood. He pulled Dave to him for a crushing kiss. "You could just put the pizza in the fridge for later and come to bed with me."

Dave chuckled. "I like the sound of that." He kissed Sebastian again and then let go. "I'll be right in."

Sebastian wandered into the bathroom and rubbed his eyes. His toiletry bag was already sitting there. He called, "Hey, baby, thank you for unpacking my overnight bag."

Dave appeared in the doorway. "You don't mind, do you? I just wanted to make tonight a little easier for you. You've been on the road for three days."

"I appreciate it very much, baby. Thank you." He put toothpaste on the brush and started cleaning his teeth.

Dave kissed his neck and wrapped his arms around Sebastian's waist. "Don't be long, babe." He unwrapped himself and walked out of the room.

Sebastian finished with his teeth and then walked into the bedroom where Dave was already stretched out on the bed wearing only his pants. He pulled off his shirt and threw it off to the side. "A little eager, aren't you?" He crawled across the bed and wrapped his arms around the other man.

They kissed deeply. Their hands explored lazily. Then the bed started shaking.

Sebastian broke the kiss and held on tight to Dave. "Oh, my god, what is that?"

"Earthquake." Dave got up out of the bed and pulled Sebastian into the doorway. "It's okay, babe." Dave said, holding Sebastian close and shielding his body as the house shook and things fell off the walls. "It'll be over in a minute."

After the initial shock, Dave stepped back and leaned against the other side of the door. "There could still be aftershocks." He explained. "We should stay here for a few more minutes."

Sebastian nodded and then folded himself against Dave's chest. "I feel like saying something really cheesy."

Dave kissed his hair. "And what is that?"

"That I've felt the earth move with you before, but that was something else."

He snorted and kissed Sebastian. There was a small aftershock and Sebastian clung to Dave once more, taking reassurance in the kiss.

"I don't want to be a party pooper, baby, but I think that drained me of the small amount of energy I'd built up."

"It's fine. Last chance for food before sleep? Some water?"

"Water would be nice. And I promise, first thing in the morning, I'll be all over you, baby." They shared one more kiss before Sebastian climbed into the bed.

Sebastian lay there for a long time, exhausted but not able to sleep. When Dave finally joined him and slipped a hand into his, he rolled into the other man's side and draped his arm over Dave's torso. He fell asleep instantly.

* * *

As the weeks passed, they fell into a comfortable home life. Sebastian applied for the California bar exam and review classes that were set to start the following month. He also started applying at law firms. He got a few calls and explained his situation. A few places seemed to like him well enough over the phone that they scheduled interviews at their offices.

Dave kissed him goodbye every morning as he went off to his own work and wished him luck on whatever endeavor he had that day. He came home in the evening to supper on the table, mostly take out, but sometimes Sebastian made an effort and cooked something simple.

One night, after Sebastian had been in San Francisco for nearly a month, Dave came home to find candles lit in the middle of the table and the scent of a roast cooking and Sebastian stirring something over the stove. He walked over and kissed his boyfriend's cheek.

"Here, try this." Sebastian said, lifting the spoon out of the pan. "Careful, it's hot."

Dave tried it. "Mm, that's good."

"Thanks. We're celebrating tonight."

"What do we have worth celebrating that requires a roast and gravy and whatever other additions?"

"I got a job today." Sebastian said proudly.

Dave chuckled and pulled him in for a hard kiss. "Congratulations! Where?"

"At a law firm just a couple blocks away. I can walk. Right now I'm a legal assistant. But they promised me a position on the actual legal team once I pass the bar. _And_ they have offered to reimburse me for the exam when I pass it."

"That is so great, babe!" He kissed Sebastian again. "I'm so proud of you."

"But that's going to change things. I'll have later nights and you'll have to start cooking for yourself again."

"I can manage. I did before." They shared another kiss. "How is that going to work with your review sessions?"

"They'll work around them. They really want me. They talked to the firm I worked with in Columbus. I guess they gave me a great recommendation." He kissed Dave and then let go. He took the pot off the stove. "I've been liking this househusband stuff, though. I didn't think I would."

"Yeah, I like it too. But, honestly, I was starting to feel like I couldn't do for myself anymore."

"Well, if you like it, I could do it all the time. I have plenty in savings and from my dad that I could add to our salary. We could live very comfortably."

"I thought you liked being a lawyer." Dave commented as he finished setting the table.

"I do. But I like taking care of you, too." Sebastian took the roast out of the oven and brought it over to the table. He smiled. "I'm really excited about this job, though."

"I bet you are." He pressed another kiss to Sebastian's mouth. "When do you start?"

"Monday." He wrapped his arms around Dave's waist. "So you have me all weekend."

"I have to go out of town tomorrow, remember? We're playing across the country. I have to keep an eye on Mitch." He stroked Sebastian's cheek. "You should come with me."

"Does everyone know…?"

"Yeah, they know. But I don't flaunt my social life. It's no one's business."

"Mitch is starting to gain fame. Aren't you worried—?"

"Babe, I'm good at what I do. No one's going to let me go just because I'm dating a man instead of a woman. It's not a big deal. I mean, _you're_ a big deal. To me you are."

"Well, I hope you're hungry." Sebastian kissed him once more and then brought everything else to the table. "Eat fast. There are other ways I want to celebrate after this."

Dave chuckled and grabbed a handful of his ass as he walked by.

Sebastian took his hand and kissed it. "None of that just yet."

They sat down to eat, which they did in relative silence for a while.

"The roast is a little dry. Sorry." Sebastian said.

"It's fine." He took a sip from his beer.

"Liar." The other man accused.

"Whatever, it's delicious. So are you coming with me this weekend or not?"

"I think I can. I have nothing else to do until Monday."

"Fantastic. Sasha's been wanting to meet you, but I keep making excuses. I wasn't ready to share you." He leaned across the table and pulled Sebastian in for a kiss. "But I guess I can start."

Sebastian smiled and kissed him again. "Hey, so, I've been thinking about something."

"What?" Dave cut a slice from his roast.

Sebastian pushed his food around on his plate. "Do you ever think about…us getting married?"

Dave chewed slowly. "Yeah. But not in a while. I like just being with you. A piece of paper isn't going to change my love for you."

"Yeah, I know. It won't change mine either, but…I like being with you. Don't you like being with me?"

"Of course I do, babe. But life is kind of busy right now. Let's wait until after you get through the bar. I don't want you to stress about anything else until then, okay?" He put a hand on top of Sebastian's. "I love you. And I'd like to be married to you. But I don't want to do that just now. Let's make sure we can live together first."

"Okay." Sebastian kissed him again and then they went back to eating. "So tell me about your day. How is it going?"


	2. Chapter 2

_Author's note: Sorry for the delay in this update. This story was just going to be a lot of fluff and happiness with a few small bits of drama peppered in. You can figure out those possibilities, I'm sure, if you read between the lines._

_Thank you to all the adds to alerts and favorites. And reviews are always welcome.  
_

_Happy reading!  
_

Chapter Two

"Dinner was great, Sasha." Sebastian said as he helped her clear the table.

"Well, thank you. I do my best."

"It shows."

She blushed. "Thank you again."

Dave and Mitch wandered into the living room while their significant others finished cleaning up. They settled in to watch a sports recap.

"I suppose the next time, you and I get to do the cleanup." Mitch commented.

"Yeah, I guess." Dave sighed. He chuckled. "So any more talk of babies since the last time?"

It was Mitch's turn to sigh. "She still refuses. Wants to keep her model figure. So I suggested adoption and she complained that we wouldn't know where the baby came from." He shrugged. "I'm giving up until she says something."

"I understand. I think Sebastian has all the proposals out of the way. He hasn't asked in a couple weeks."

"That's good, I guess."

"Yeah."

"You sound like it's not."

Dave shrugged. "Everything's fine. I think he's mostly stressed since the bar is next week."

"He'll do fine."

"I know. And he knows. He just refuses to believe it."

They watched TV silently for a while.

Sebastian wrapped his arms around Dave from behind. "It's late. We should let these two have their house back."

Dave patted his hands. "Okay." He stood and exchanged nods with Mitch then he kissed Sasha on both cheeks. "Grazie per un pasto delizioso, Sasha. Hai superato te stesso."

"Grazie mille, David. We'll see you in a few days."

"Yes."

Sebastian kissed her cheeks at the door and then slipped his hand into Dave's and pulled him toward the car. "I think I might have had a bit too much. You should drive."

"Good choice." He kissed Sebastian and then took the keys from his pocket.

"That was hot."

"I do that sometimes."

They drove mostly in silence. Sebastian leaned over the center console and rested his hand on his boyfriend's knee. "I love you." He said after a while. "Have I said that lately?"

Dave took his hand and kissed it. "You have. But I like hearing it. And I love you too."

"I love it when you speak Italian."

"Ah, sì. E io lo faccio per impressionarti."

Sebastian giggled and pressed his eyes into the other man's shoulder.

"Stop, that tickles." Dave chuckled.

Sebastian only nuzzled closer.

"Sebastian, babe, you really need to stop. I don't want to wreck."

He moved back to his own seat and readjusted his seatbelt. He held out his hand on the console.

Dave slipped his hind into his boyfriend's and laced their fingers together. "I can't wait to get you home and into bed."

Sebastian grinned. "You only want me for my body."

"Well, not _only_." He kissed the other man's hand. "I want you for your paycheck, too."

He threw his head back and laughed. "You are perfect."

"I do what I can."

Dave pulled into the driveway of their house and leaned across the center console. He kissed Sebastian softly.

"I want to marry you, Dave." He said against the other man's lips.

"I want to marry you, too, Sebastian."

"So let's just do it. Let's get married. Get your dad here and I'll call Bailey and we can get married."

"Okay." Dave nodded. "Let's do it."

"Really?"

"Really." They shared another kiss. "Now get your ass inside."

Sebastian laughed and pulled the keys out of the ignition and then bolted from the car. "Come and get me, Davey." He called, pulling off his coat at the front door.

Dave laughed and followed. He grabbed Sebastian around the waist and pressed a kiss to his neck.

Sebastian giggled. "I can't see as it is, baby."

"You said to come get you." Dave took the key and slipped it easily into the lock. He pushed the door open and threw Sebastian's coat inside. Then he hefted his boyfriend over his shoulder and carried him inside.

Sebastian laughed and pushed the door closed as soon as he was out of the way. Dave deposited him on the floor after a few feet. He turned and locked the door, hanging the keys on the hook.

Sebastian tugged at his arm. "You promised to take me to bed."

"I did." He followed along, throwing his coat behind him.

In their bedroom, Sebastian pulled Dave down on top of him. They kissed lazily for a while. Dave worked at the buttons on the other man's shirt. Sebastian thrust his hips up and moaned.

"Come on, Dave." He begged.

"Patience, babe."

"No." He flipped Dave onto his back and finished unbuttoning his own shirt. He threw it away and then stood and took off his pants and boxers.

Dave sat up and slid his hands up Sebastian's stomach and chest and then down his arms. He wrapped his hands around the other man's wrists and pulled him back onto the bed. "God bless your exercise equipment."

Sebastian laughed and pressed a kiss to Dave's mouth. "Get naked. I need you in me now."

Dave smiled and pushed him gently away. He undressed quickly.

Sebastian took the lube out of the drawer and squirted some onto his fingers. He slipped them inside himself as he watched his boyfriend undress.

Dave stood and watched him for a while, stroking himself and reveling in the other man's moans as he rocked his hips. He leaned over Sebastian, pushing his hand away and slipping in slowly.

"I love you, baby." Sebastian moaned.

"I love _you._" Dave replied.

They said nothing else, moving steadily together. Dave held on to Sebastian's hips, gripping them tightly. Sebastian gripped the sheets beneath him and moaned with each inward thrust. He released one hand so he could stroke himself in time to the other man's movements inside him.

Dave leaned over him, releasing his hold on his hips. With one hand he pushed Sebastian's away from his cock and took over the stroking. He took hold of Sebastian's other hand and held it above his head, lacing their fingers together.

"How does this feel, babe?" he murmured.

"So good." Sebastian whimpered. "Almost."

"Me too."

"Come with me, baby."

"I am. I'm there. Oh, god." He let out a loud groan, his grip tightening as he came.

Sebastian threw his head back as he met his own climax and groaned just as loudly.

Dave's head dropped to Sebastian's chest. Both panted heavily. Sebastian raised his free hand to comb through Dave's hair.

"I'm looking forward to spending the rest of my life with you." Sebastian said softly.

"Yeah." Dave rolled away and let out a long breath. "So, do you want something big?"

"I don't know." He rolled over and picked up a shirt off the floor and started cleaning off his stomach. "I think we should probably keep it low key. You're not secretive about all this, but it would be better for your career." He handed the shirt over to Dave.

"I guess so. Who do we invite?"

"Your dad and Bailey for sure. And Sasha and Mitch and Mel. We don't have a lot of close friends otherwise."

"I like the sound of that."

"Me too." Dave threw the shirt off to the side and then climbed under the blanket. "Do we want a preacher or a justice of the peace or what?"

Sebastian got under the blanket and curled into Dave's side. "Why are you asking me all this stuff? It's your wedding too."

Dave combed his fingers through Sebastian's hair. "Mel said once that she was ordained."

"So you want Mel to do it?"

"Would you mind?"

"Not at all, baby. I like Miss Melly. And I'd like a good story to tell our kids."

"Kids? You want kids?"

"Yeah, don't you?"

"We haven't really talked about it."

"Yeah, but I want to talk about it now."

Dave kissed his forehead. "Just pass the bar next week and _then_ we'll discuss all that other stuff."

"I'll pass it. With flying colors."

"Good." He pulled Sebastian close for a kiss. "I love you. We'll call everyone tomorrow."

"Yeah." He yawned. "Now let's get some sleep." He rolled away.

Dave leaned over and kissed Sebastian's shoulder before rolling onto his back once more.

* * *

"Hey, Dad, call me back. There's something I want to talk to you about." Dave said into his dad's voicemail.

"Still no answer?" Sebastian asked. He sat down with a bowl of cereal.

Dave shook his head. "I wanted him to know first. Were you able to get Bailey?"

"Yeah. She's really excited. Said to just pick the date and she'd be here."

Dave leaned over and kissed his new fiancé's cheek. "Good." His phone rang just then. "Dad, hi."

"Hey, Davey. What's going on? Is everything okay?"

"Yeah everything's fine." He slipped an arm around the other man. "Sebastian and I have decided to get married. And we'd like you to be there."

Paul chuckled on the other end. "I'll be there with bells on, son. Congratulations!"

"Thanks, Dad." He rested his head on Sebastian's shoulder. "We're really happy."

"I'm glad, Davey. I really am. Do you have a date yet?"

"Do, we haven't discussed that bit. Sebastian has his exam this week, so we're focusing on that right now. And once that's done, we'll throw ourselves into all the planning." He kissed the other man's bare shoulder.

"Sounds good."

"We have decided that it's going to be small. Just you and Bailey and a couple of our friends. We're going to ask my friend Mel to do the ceremony."

"Are you sure?"

"We don't want a big production. And people may not make a big deal out of the up-and-coming sports agent's lack of female dates, but rubbing their faces in my gay wedding probably won't win a lot of support."

Sebastian turned his head and kissed Dave's forehead.

"I don't think it's a big deal." Paul said.

"Well, you're my dad, you're supposed to think like that."

He chuckled. "True."

"I'll let you go, Dad. I'm sure you've got a full day planned."

"Yeah, well, a whole lot of nothing."

"We can talk a little longer."

"No, you probably _do_ have a lot to do."

"Just kiss my fiancé." He rubbed Sebastian's back.

"Well, that's good enough reason to get off the phone, buddy. You take care. And tell your _fiancé_ I say hello."

"I will. Love you, Dad."

"Love you too, son."

"Dad says hi." Dave said after he hung up the phone. "And congratulations."

"Well, hi, Paul." Sebastian said before he leaned over and kissed Dave. "I love you so much. Do you know that?"

Dave nodded. "You know, I wouldn't be alive if it weren't for you. I worried for a while if I loved you because of it or because I really loved you."

"Did you ever figure it out?"

"I love you because you're a great guy. Because you make my life worth living. Because you help me go on." They shared another kiss. "And because you're really great in bed."

Sebastian laughed. "I agree. With all of it."

"Do you want to do something to celebrate today?"

"I would love to, but I need to get some studying in. Tonight?"

"Sure. And I'll help you study."

"Eat some breakfast first, baby."

"Yes, dear." He kissed Sebastian's cheek and then got up and made his own bowl of cereal.


	3. Chapter 3

_Author's note: I hope you like this chapter. Many more good things happen here. Reviews are welcome. Don't be shy. I don't bite._

_I would like to thank those of you who have added this to alerts. You make me feel like I'm doing something right.  
_

_My bestie (actresswithoutastage) and I have some great things planned. Good things and things that will break your heart. But not a whole lot. This is a happy story. And mostly happy things will happen.  
_

_Happy reading!  
_

Chapter Three

Dave came in from a late day. He had a bag of take out in his hand. "Hey, babe, I'm home. I brought supper." He sat the food down on the kitchen table and walked into the living room to find Sebastian stretched out on the couch. Dave kneeled down beside him "Babe?"

Sebastian opened an eye. "I heard you come in."

"You okay?" He asked, smoothing a hand over his fiancé's hair.

"Just tired after the exam."

Dave leaned over and kissed him. "How do you feel about it?"

"Relieved that it's over." He reached up and brushed his fingers down Dave's cheek. "You promised we'd talk about wedding stuff when it was over."

"I did. Come get supper and we'll start discussing."

"Give me a kiss first."

He kissed the other man once more, deeply. He tangled his fingers in Sebastian's hair as their tongues danced together. Dave pulled away slightly. "Nothing against you, babe, but I didn't get a real lunch and I'm starving."

Sebastian smiled and sat up. "I was too nervous to eat anything at the lunch break."

Dave combed his fingers through his fiancé's hair. "But do you feel good about it?"

"Yeah, I do." He stood and took Dave's hand. "I want to get married right here."

"I like that." Dave got out plates while Sebastian took out silverware and glasses. "Suits or casual?"  
"Don't make me slum at my wedding. This is something that only happens once. Well, it's only _supposed_ to happen once." He took out glasses. "What do you want to drink?"

"Water."

"Good choice." He filled both their glasses from a pitcher in the fridge and then sat them down at the table. "We should start looking at rings."

"Isn't that one of the last things?"

"What would you say if I asked that the wedding be next month?"

"Why so fast?"

"I want to just do it quietly, baby. And if we do too much planning and running all over the place to get things, it won't be so quiet."

"But if we do it gradually, it won't be so conspicuous."

"I see."

"What about Christmas or New Year's Day? That way we'll always remember our anniversary and we'll have a great story for our grandkids."

"Grandkids?" Sebastian grinned into his plate. "I want three kids."

"Three?"

"Good things come in threes." He looked up. "This is another thing you said to wait on, but I'm done waiting. We're almost thirty. And it could take a while for us to adopt or whatever. And when the exam results come in and I pass, I'll be getting a raise and put on the legal team of Porter and Graham."

"Let's finish the wedding talk before we move on to the kid talk."

"Okay." Sebastian took a bite. "New Year's Day sounds nice and romantic."

"Yeah? Then we should get some invitations." Dave reached across the table and touched Sebastian's hand. "Touching you doesn't get old."

"I know. Maybe when _we're_ old."

He smiled. "Maybe."

He threaded his fingers through Dave's. "You're the best thing ever. And I love you so much. I'm so happy to be marrying you."

"I want to write our own vows."

Sebastian chuckled. "That came out of the blue."

"There's so much I want to say to you in front of everyone."

"Yeah, me too."

They discussed a few more details as they ate, touching often. They sat together on the couch after supper and put on Gone with the Wind. Sebastian rested his head on Dave's lap. He took one of Dave's hands and threaded their fingers together as the other man combed his fingers through Sebastian's hair.

"So three kids?" Dave asked as Scarlett ran away from the Tarelton twins.

"Yes, three. A boy and two girls. The boy would be the oldest, of course. And he'd watch over his sisters. I always wanted sisters."

"I always wanted a younger brother. Someone to look up to me."

"Well that would work too."

"And what if they're all three girls?"

"Then they will _have_ to be named Scarlett, Careen, and Suellen."

Dave leaned over him. "Most definitely not." He kissed Sebastian. "I'll not feed into your Gone with the Wind obsession."

"Fine then." He rolled onto his back and lifted Dave's hand, playing with it. "Do you like the idea of three?"

"Yeah, I do. We could have a family basketball team."

"Of course it comes to sports with you."

"Yeah. And I'm not ashamed of it."

"I want to start looking into it after the wedding. Having kids. Adoption or egg donor. Surrogacy."

"I'd like to look into getting a surrogate and egg donor first. See what that will take. Adoption is going to be tough."

"It's going to be tough either way."

"Yeah." Dave kissed his hand. "I love you. I really do like the idea of being married to you for the rest of my life. And I think raising a family with you is a fine adventure to go on together."

"Let's forget the rest of this movie for tonight. I'm tired. Let's go to bed."

"But I'm not tired."

"Just come hold me then? Please?"

"Go on in. I'll lock up."

Sebastian sat up and kissed him softly. "Don't be forever."

* * *

"I think we should buy the rings for each other separately." Dave said as they looked through yet another website.

"Don't you want them to match?"

"We've seen some that I liked and some that you liked, but none we can agree on. Let's just pick a metal and then we pick each other's design. I know what you like and you know what I like and we should surprise each other. It could be our wedding gifts to each other."

"Sterling silver." Sebastian said, sounding slightly dejected.

"What?"

"Sterling silver. Neither of us would look good with gold. So silver or white gold, I guess."

"Okay. So we agree?"

"Yes."

"We need to go to a jeweler and check size."

"Let's go right now then. This is stressing me out."

"We're getting married in less than two months. _I'm_ stressing out." He stood up from the desk and headed for the door. He grabbed his coat. "Move that sexy little ass of yours, Seb."

Sebastian chuckled and came toward him. He wrapped an arm around Dave's waist, slipping a hand into his back pocket. He buried his face in Dave's neck. "I love you."

"I love you, too." He kissed Sebastian's ear. "It's getting late, we should go. They may close."

They got in the car and drove a few blocks until they reached the jeweler. They walked in and stepped up to a counter. Something caught Sebastian's eye.

"Baby, look." He pointed. "That's gorgeous."

Dave looked down. "The black one with the silver strip?"

"Yeah. What do you think?"

"Would you like to look at something?" A woman asked as she walked over.

"Can we see that one?" Sebastian asked, pointing to the one he was just gushing over.

She pulled it out. "The metal is tungsten and it is surrounded by black ceramic."

Sebastian picked it up and examined it. "I really like this."

"Yeah, it's nice." Dave said, looking over his shoulder.

His fiancé looked at him expectantly. "I know we said—"

"Yeah. But it was just a frustrated suggestion." He looked to the clerk. "How much?"

"Two hundred." She said.

"Dave?"

He took the ring and slipped it onto Sebastian's left hand. "Wow, this actually fits perfectly."

Sebastian looked down at his hand. He smiled. "This feels weird. But I like it. It looks good. Here, you try." He took it off and slid it onto Dave's finger. It stopped at the knuckle.

Dave chuckled. "I'm obviously going to need a bigger size. But I like it. So are we agreed?"

"I think so." They turned back to the clerk.

"This size for my lovely fiancé, but I'm going to need that sizer-thing, please." He smiled.

She pulled out the contraption and a form and started writing things down as she handed the ring sizing device to Dave. She wrote down some more things and then brought them over to the register. "You'll need to put down a deposit of at least one hundred dollars. We should have the order in by next week for you to try."

"Wow, really?" Sebastian said.

She smiled. "Really. So how much would you like to put down?"

"We'll do half." Dave said, taking out his wallet. He handed over his credit card.

"I'm really glad we agreed, baby." Sebastian said, wrapping an arm around Dave's waist.

"Yeah. I could tell you weren't really into that other idea."

Sebastian slipped a hand into Dave's and gushed, "They're going to be so cool. Sasha is going to be jealous."

"What's Sasha got to be jealous of? She has mounds of diamonds."

"Would you give me mounds of diamonds?"

"If you liked diamonds? Yeah, babe. All the diamonds I could find."

The clerk said. "I'd just like to say that you two are so adorable."

"It's because of him, isn't it? All the girls want him, but he's mine." Dave smiled proudly at the man by his side.

"Gosh, if my fiancé were half as sweet as you…"

"I'm sure he's sweet enough or you wouldn't have fallen for him." Sebastian said. "And this one's not always sweet." He kissed Dave's cheek.

A man cleared his throat and glared at the pair. Sebastian glared back and then pulled Dave to him for a hard, lingering kiss.

When he pulled away, Dave's cheeks were a deep shade of red.  
"What other information do you need?" Dave asked, his voice a few notes higher.

The woman handed over a form with a kind smile. She pointed to different fields. "I need you to write your phone number here and print your name here and sign and date here."

Dave wrote down the proper information. He passed the form back. "Anything else?"

She passed over the credit card. "Nope, nothing. We'll call you when your rings are in."

Dave held his hand out. "Thank you."

She shook his hand. "It was no trouble."

Sebastian held out his hand. "Thanks."

"It was my pleasure."

Dave hurried them out of the shop and out to the car.

"We should have gotten a picture. You know Mel and Sasha both will want to know what they look like."

"Yeah, well, your public display of affection was a bit much, don't you think?"

"That guy was being a jerk. I mean, we live in San Francisco in the twenty-first century. He needs to get over himself."

Dave sighed. "It was kind of hot. I like it when you get like that. But let's limit it to our house, okay?"

"Okay, babe, I'll try. As long as ass hats like that don't glare at us."

"Sebastian." He warned.

"David." He said back in the same tone.

They were silent for the rest of the trip. When they stepped into their house, Sebastian took Dave by the shoulders and pushed him against the door. He kissed his fiancé hard on the mouth and slid his hand down to the front of his jeans, rubbing his palm over the growing bulge.

Dave groaned and rocked his hips into the touch. He unbuttoned his jeans and tried to push them down, but Sebastian stopped him.

"Let me, babe." He dropped to his knees and pulled his fiancé's jeans and underwear down to his knees. He ran his tongue from the base of Dave's cock to the tip.

"Sebastian." He groaned.

"What do you want, baby?" he crooned as he kissed along the other man's hard length.

"I want you."

"You want me to…what?"

"Make love to me."

"Come on." He tugged on his arm.

"No. Here. Now."

"Two seconds." He stood and kissed Dave hard and then he ran to their bedroom and back. He pushed Dave against the door as he unfastened his own jeans and pushed them down. He kissed the other man and continued to kiss him as he rubbed lube over himself.

Dave turned and reached behind him. Sebastian pushed into him slowly, letting out a long breath when he was in completely. He rested only a moment before he started moving rapidly. Sebastian grunted like a wild animal. Dave placed a hand on top of his as his hip. The other supported himself on the door so that he didn't slam into it.

"You okay?" Sebastian panted.

"Yeah." Dave answered through his teeth.

"Sure?"

He paused. "Slow down."

Sebastian tightened his grip on Dave, but did as he requested.

Dave let out a sigh. "Good. Better."

He pulled back and turned Dave, pushing him over the arm of the chair. He entered him again. "How's that?" he asked softly.

"Baby?" He sighed.

"What?"

"I love you."

"I love you." He felt the tension rising in him. "I'm coming."

"Good."

Sebastian chuckled and it turned into a moan as he came. Dave's climax came a moment later and was less vocal. Sebastian slid his hands up Dave's back under his shirt. He kissed the other man's shoulder.

"We need to clean this couch." Dave said with his face still pressed into the cushion.

"Mmm." Sebastian kissed the back of his neck. "Or just not do this in the living room."

"Trying to tell me something, babe?"

"Maybe you shouldn't be so horny."

"Maybe you shouldn't be so hot and I wouldn't be so horny."

"I can't help how God made me, baby." He kissed Dave's neck one more time and then straightened up. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine. Why do you keep asking?"

"Because you're not usually on that side of it." He reached for his pants and pulled them up. "Shower?"

"Sure. Let's go." Dave pulled up his own pants and followed his fiancé out of the room.


	4. Chapter 4

_Author's note: I really loved writing this chapter. I hope you like it too. My co-writer (and best friend) actresswithoutastage said she was in a diabetic coma after reading it. lol_

_Please feel free to review and let me know what you think.  
_

_Happy reading!  
_

Chapter Four

"Dad?" Dave said, looking over his shoulder. "Will you check this tie again? I feel like I'm choking."

"Hey, what's the problem?" Paul asked as he stepped forward and fussed with his son's tie for the fourth time.

"I'm just so nervous." He said, turning and looking in the mirror again.

"Why? You've been living together for months. This isn't changing a whole lot." Paul put his hands on his son's shoulders. "You'll be fine. And I don't think you could have picked a better guy to spend the rest of your life with."

Dave turned and pulled him into a hug. "Thanks, Dad." He sighed and then stepped back. "I know I'm doing the right thing. It feels right."

Mitch came in. "I have the ring." He walked over and handed him a box.

"You guys want to see?" he asked nervously.

"Sure." Paul said, looking over his shoulder.

Dave opened the box to reveal the black and silver ring. He took it out and slipped it onto his finger and saw that it stopped at the knuckle. "Good, it's the right one." He held his hand out. "What do you guys think?"

"Nice." Mitch said.

"Yeah." Paul agreed.

Mel knocked on the door as she walked in. "How's it going in here?"

"Almost ready." Dave said. "I think." He held out his hand. "Check it out."

"Oh, my god, Dave, it's gorgeous." His friend said, looking at the ring.

"Sebastian fell in love with it. And they're perfect." He handed the ring back to Mitch. "Hang on to that." He warned.

"Don't worry, man. I got this."

"And Sasha has the other one?"

"Yes."

"Okay." He took a deep breath and let it out. "I think we can get started. If my better half is ready."

"I'll go check." Mel offered. "You can help me, Mitch." She pulled him out of the room.

Dave and Paul were once again alone.

"If you ever need anything…" Paul started.

"Thanks, Dad."

He put a hand on his son's shoulder. "Don't you ever take him for granted. And if it gets tough, just move on through. Don't give up. You got into this for a reason. Always remember that reason."

Dave nodded.

Mel knocked on the door. She called, "He's ready when you are."

"Let's do this."

He stepped into the living room. Sebastian already stood in front of the picture window that looked out into the back yard. It was drizzling and the sky was overcast. It was a perfect day to curl up with the one you loved and watch a movie or read a book or just doze off and on. Or get married, in their case. Their Christmas tree was still up and Sasha had plugged in the lights.

The guests—Paul, Bailey, Mitch, and Sasha—sat on the couches that had been turned slightly toward the window. Mel stood in front of the couple with a book in her hand. She went through the opening, welcoming everyone. After saying a few words, she invited both men to say the vows they had written for each other.

Dave began, "Sebastian, I love you more than I ever can say. When I was stupid enough to let you go, it nearly killed me. I don't like the sad event that brought us back together, but I feel like it couldn't have come at a better time for both of us. I promise to love you for the rest of my life. I promise to do my best to honor you and cherish you in all we do in the good times and the bad times. You're amazing and I don't think there could have found a better man to spend the rest of my life with." He cut his eyes to his dad for a moment before turning back to Sebastian.

"David," the other man began, "you have been a rock for me. You saved me from myself more times than I can remember. Moving here has made my life worth living. Loving you makes my life worth living. I'm glad I'm going to be stuck with you. And I promise that there will never be a day that goes by that you won't hear me tell you that I love you. Not a day will go by that I don't show you how much I respect you and care for you. And not a day will go by that I don't remind you why we're together."

They exchanged rings after that, repeating after Mel. "I give you this ring as a symbol of my love and faithfulness. As I place it on your finger, I commit my heart and soul to you. I ask you to wear this ring as a reminder of the vows we have spoken today, our wedding day."

Sebastian kissed the ring Dave's finger after he said the words. There were tears in his eyes and Dave reached up to wipe them away as they fell onto his cheeks.

"By the power vested in me by the state of California, I now pronounce you married. You may share your first kiss."

Sebastian chuckled through his tears and yanked Dave forward for a hard kiss.

Dave smiled against his lips. "I love you." He said softly.

"I love you."

They kissed again and then Dave twisted Sebastian over his knee and kissed him like in the movies. Sebastian laughed as they both straightened up. He pressed their foreheads together and wiped at Dave's cheeks.

"I present to you Sebastian and David Karofsky-Smythe." Mel said.

They turned to the small crowd, arms around each other, tears still streaming from both their eyes. Bailey stepped forward and wrapped her arms around both of them at once. She was sobbing happily. The others waited. Mitch and Sasha were next, hugging each of them tightly. And then Mel kissed each of them.

Sebastian said, "Thanks, Miss Melly."

She smiled. "It was no problem."

Paul was the last. He wrapped his son in a tight hug. Dave felt moisture on his collar and saw the tears on his cheeks as he stepped back. He hugged Sebastian and then stepped back and warned, "You treat him right or you'll hear from me."

"Yes, sir." He said, slipping his hand into Dave's and threading their fingers together. "I promise."

Paul clapped him on the shoulder. "Good. Now, isn't it time for cake?"

"We have real food first, Dad." Dave said, dragging his husband into the kitchen where Sasha and Bailey were setting out food that had been stored in the fridge.

There were sandwiches and vegetables and fruits. They filled their plates and sat down around the table together. They joked with the newlyweds about the "horrors" of marriage.

Sebastian stole kisses from Dave. Dave pretended to be embarrassed, but really reveled in it every time. Kissing him wasn't going to get old any time soon.

"Can we have the cake now?" Paul asked.

"You're acting like you're five." Dave commented.

"Weddings are for cake." He replied. "Like birthdays. No one comes for anything else. No offense."

"I'm glad my marriage means so much to you, Dad." He teased.

Bailey went into the next room and brought out the cake. It was three tiers of traditional, sugary beauty. Sasha brought in plates and spoons.

Dave picked up the knife and they cut the customary first piece. Sebastian picked up a fork.

Dave shook his head. "No way, babe." He picked up the piece. "Open up." He demanded before shoving the piece in his husband's face, getting most of it on his cheek.

"Oh, I see how it is." Sebastian picked up his bit of cake and smashed it on Dave's mouth.

"You're cleaning the floor tonight, just so you know." He wiped at his mouth and then kissed Sebastian hard on the mouth. "Mm, sugar."

"Yeah." He purred. He kissed Dave again, hard, slipping his tongue into the other man's mouth.

Paul cleared his throat. "Save it for when you're alone, guys."

Dave was red in the face when they broke apart. "I think this means everyone can have cake now." He wiped his mouth.

* * *

"I can't believe you Frenched me in front of my dad." Dave said as they climbed into bed later.

"You didn't stop me, baby. In fact you kissed back." He leaned over Dave. "Hey, you're my husband."

"And your mine." He pulled Sebastian down and kissed him hard, running his hands down his back and cupping his bottom.

"Mmm." Sebastian moaned into his mouth.

"I love you." Dave rolled him onto his back. "I wish we could have gone away."

"Me too. But I'm just starting out and you're in the thick of the season. We'll go in the summer, just like we planned."

"I just want to make love with you. It doesn't much matter where it is."

Sebastian smiled and pulled Dave down on top of him. "You're right. And this bed already knows us so well."

They made love slowly and quietly. The only sound was their breathing and the murmured vows of love and devotion. They came together. Dave kissed Sebastian again and again. He rolled away with a heavy sigh.

"Perfect." Sebastian breathed, slipping a hand into his new husband's.

"Yeah." He squeezed Sebastian's hand.

"I'm going to do this every night you let me."

"I'm the one who does most of the work."

Sebastian chuckled and curled into his side. "Not _every_ time."

"True. But most of the time." He kissed Sebastian. "Mel and I were talking today. About our baby plans."

"Oh yeah. We haven't done a lot of talking about our baby plans."

"Egg donation and surrogacy. Not much more than that until we go to the agency."

"Right. And that appointment is next week."

"Yes. Well, Mel offered to be our surrogate."

"She did? Wow. That's generous."

"Yeah. She said she'd take the initial exam and let us know if it's even a possibility. I told her that you and I should talk first and make sure you would be comfortable with it."

"Why wouldn't I be comfortable with it? She's my friend too."

He rolled over and kissed Sebastian. "I worry that you get jealous of her."

"Sometimes I do. But I'd be honored if she was able to carry our baby. We know her and how she spends her days. I trust her. I wouldn't know if I could trust a stranger."

"I agree. So I'll tell her we agree and she can set up her appointment."

"Good." Sebastian yawned and rolled to his other side. "Let's sleep for a little while. It's been a long day and I'd like to make love without falling asleep in the middle of it."

Dave chuckled and wrapped his arms around him, pulling the blanket over them. "I want you at least one more time before morning."

"You'll get me, baby." Sebastian promised.

Dave kissed his shoulder. "Goodnight, babe."

"'Night." Sebastian yawned again. "Love you."

"Love you, too."


	5. Chapter 5

_Author's note: I didn't like writing some of the things in this chapter, but it's still good, I think. Please feel free to review and let me know what you think._

_Happy reading!  
_

Chapter Five

Sebastian kissed Dave softly. "Wake up, baby."

"Hm? What time is it?"

"Six-thirty-seven." He kissed him again. "Come on. I started the coffee."

"Mm. Five more minutes." Dave rolled over and buried his face in his pillow.

"We do this every morning, baby. Come on." He pulled the blanket away. "Get up."

"Just leave me alone for five minutes, babe, okay? I'll get up."

"Okay." He pressed a kiss to his cheek. "I'll start breakfast while you're in the shower."

He nodded.

Sebastian walked into the kitchen and got the ingredients out to make pancakes. He was putting the first two pancakes on a plate when his husband came into the room, scratching his head and yawning.

"I hate mornings." He said, taking the plate and sitting.

"I know." Sebastian poured some more batter into the pan. "But you still make it somehow."

"Because now I have you, babe. And you like mornings way more than I do."

"I just don't like to waste a moment of the day."

Dave grumbled.

"Doesn't Mel have her appointment today?"

"Yeah." He yawned again. "I invited her to supper tonight, remember?"

"Mm-hm."

They were quiet for a while and then Sebastian sat down with him and started eating.

"You're sure this is okay?"

"Her being the surrogate? Yeah, it's fine."

"I just want to make sure."

"Baby, it's okay." He placed a hand on Dave's knee. "We're fine. I like her, you know that."

"Yeah."

"And by tonight, we may know if we can start the baby-making process."

"Have you looked at any of those egg donor files?"

"A little. We should go over them this weekend together."

"Yes." He leaned over and pressed his face into Sebastian's neck. "I love you."

"I love you, too." He kissed Dave's ear. "I need to get to the office. I have court today and I want to be completely prepared for my first day."'

He sat back. "You'll be great, babe."

Sebastian leaned in and kissed him. "Thank you." He stood and started clearing the plates.

"I got these, Seb. You go finish getting ready."

"Thank you, baby."

* * *

"I'm bringing home pizza." Sebastian said over the phone as he walked home that evening. "I hope you didn't have other plans.  
"No, that's fine." Dave said. "I've had a long day. Mostly worrying about Mel's appointment."

"Has she called at all today?"

"She sent a text to say she had some news to share over supper."

"Is that a good thing or a bad thing?"

"I couldn't tell. She hasn't responded to me."

"Well, we'll find out soon enough." Sebastian walked into the pizza joint he and Dave frequented just a block from their house. "Hold on, I'm going to put you in my pocket, baby." He put the phone in his pocket and walked up to the counter. He paid and took the pizzas and walked back out. "I'm back. Are you on your way home?"

"I'm headed there." Sebastian could hear the car door close.

"I'm excited for this. I wasn't before, but now it's a little more of a thing."

"Yeah, me too. I can't wait to see you holding our baby."

"You are going to me so much hotter."

"You think so? I'm already a hottie."

Dave laughed. "And not a bit modest."

"Not at all." He walked into the house. "I'm home."

"I'll be there in ten minutes."

"I love you."

"I love _you_."

Sebastian hung up and busied himself putting his things away. There was a knock on the door as he was changing out of his suit. He hurried to the door and called, "Miss Melly, is that you?"

"Yes." She called back.

He opened the door, huge smile on his face. It fell when he took in her appearance. Her face was so dejected.

"Your husband home?" she asked.

"Not yet. Are you okay?"

"Let's wait until Dave gets here."

"Okay." He paused and then pulled her into a hug. "You don't have to say it yet."

"I don't want to say anything until Dave gets home."

"Okay." He held her back a little. "Are you all right?"

She shrugged and rubbed his arms.

"Honey, I'm home." Dave called as he walked into the room. He stopped when he saw the pair. "What is it?"

Mel walked over and took his hand. "Let's sit down." They walked to the couch. Mel took a seat on the coffee table. "I had my appointment today, as you both know." She leaned forward and placed a hand on both their knees. "I heard a lot of medical talk today and I didn't understand most of it. But what it all boils down to is that I can't be your surrogate." Her voice cracked. "And I'm so sorry."

Dave looked at her for a moment before he let out a long breath and stood. He paced the room. Sebastian reached out to Mel and pulled her to sit beside him. She wrapped her arms him and pressed her face into his shoulder.

"Davey, are you okay?" Sebastian asked after a while.

He shook his head. "I don't know. We were close. Now we have to interview surrogates." He rubbed his face. "Thank you, Mel, for offering and going through this. We'll cover you for the exam and everything."

"It's covered by my insurance." She stood and placed her hands on her friend's shoulders. "Are you mad at me?"

"No, Mel, of course not. It's not your fault."

She wrapped her arms around him. "I'm sorry."

He returned her embrace. "We'll be fine."

"Who's hungry?" Sebastian asked, heading into the kitchen.

Dave and Mel looked at his retreating form for several seconds.

"Is he going to be okay?" Mel asked.

"I don't know. I think so. I hope so." He sat down on the couch and put his face in his hands. "I don't know, Mel."

She sat down beside him. "You have other options, right?"

He nodded. "But we know you."

"When you see her, you'll know it's right."

He nodded again, swallowing hard around the lump in his throat.  
"Is no one else coming for pizza?" Sebastian called from the dining room.

"On our way." Mel called, hauling Dave to his feet. "Let's go, big guy."

The talk over supper was subdued. Dave and Sebastian gave each other several reassuring touches on the arm or a kiss on the cheek between bites. Mel left after supper with another apology.

"Leave the dishes. I'll do them tomorrow." Dave said, tugging Sebastian's hand.

"What are we doing?"

Dave gently pushed his husband onto the couch and then walked over to the entertainment center. "Watching your comfort movie." He put the DVD in the player and then turned out the lights and sat with Sebastian on the couch. He pulled Sebastian close as he reclined on the couch.

"You know me so well." He said, snuggling into Dave as the opening credits began. "We should look at some of those surrogates we were given."

"Yeah." Dave combed his fingers through his husband's hair. "And the donors. They need to have your features and talents."

"You have some good features and talents yourself." He pushed himself up. "I like your eyes. We should find someone with similar eyes."

"What about yours? God, I get lost in them so many times."

Sebastian smiled and pressed a kiss to his lips. "I love you."

"I love you too. Are you okay?"

"I'm a little disappointed it's not Mel. But it's not a bad thing, baby. Not really. We'll meet someone new. And maybe she'll be just as perfect."

"Maybe."

Sebastian got up and left the room. He returned with the folders they had been given at the agency. One was thick with possible egg donors. The other was thinner with a few surrogates in their area. He thumbed through it. "I've been going through these and I have a couple I think work."

"When have you had time?"

"I bring it to work with me."

"And how am I supposed to look through it if you bring it to work with you?" He said with a smile. He picked up the remote. "Shut up, Scarlett." He said as he pushed the pause button. "Show me what you got."

* * *

_Post-story author's note: If you don't remember from the one-shots associated with this (or haven't read them), Sebastian's "comfort movie" is Gone with the Wind. It was his mother's favorite movie and he has an obsession with it as it brings him closer to her in his mind._


	6. Chapter 6

_Author's note: This chapter has some heavy stuff, but not too heavy I hope. Good things are on the horizon. Please feel free to review and let me know what you think._

_Happy reading!  
_

Chapter Six

The first donor choice, a dark haired woman with eyes similar in color to Sebastian's, fell through. She was quite pretty and had a clean family health record. Of course she would be snatched quickly. They were offered the chance to be put on a waiting list for her, but they declined. No use in waiting if she might change her mind about donation on her next cycle.

So they went for their second choice. She was a blonde, but all her other features and medical history matched up with what they were looking for. She had been a cheerleader in high school and was in the choir in college. So they chose her and the process of harvesting began.

They found a surrogate fairly easily; a waitress, trying to make a good life for herself and her young daughter. It felt right for all involved.

The next step was the fertilization.

"Okay." Dave said as they sat in the waiting room.

"'Okay' what?" Sebastian asked, glancing through an old magazine.

"This is going to be weird."

"You could do this in your sleep, baby. All you have to do is whack off into a cup."

"I'd like to not trivialize it so much. We're trying to create a life."

"You want to go in the room together? They'll let us. It's the closest we'll get."

"I'm nervous enough as it is." He rested his forehead in his hand.

Sebastian placed his hand on Dave's thigh. "Relax." He rubbed gently. "Like I said, we could go in there together. They've told us we can."

"I really don't know if that's going to help." He put his hand on top of Sebastian's. "Stop."

A nurse appeared at the door and called their names. They walked to the door together, but didn't touch.

* * *

"So what's happening now?" Sebastian asked the doctor.

"We fertilize the harvested eggs with your sperm and see if we can make a baby."

"And if not?"

"We have to see what happens. It will take about a week before we can do the implantation."

"And we'll get the call?"

"Yes."

The couple shared a look.

Sebastian said, "Do we need to do anything else?"

"We need to know for sure; you want us to mix the samples? You don't want to know who the father is in the end?"

"That's right." Dave said, reaching over and taking his husband's hand. "Do we need anything else?"

"No, I believe that's all. The next step is ours."

They nodded.

Sebastian said, "We patiently await your call."

They shook hands with the doctor and left with their hands tightly clasped together. They walked to the car. Dave wrapped an arm around Sebastian's waist and pulled him close.

"Let's just pretend nothing is pending." Dave said. "Let's not worry about this thing that might not happen."

"Okay. No obsessing. Just hoping for good outcomes."

"Yes."

"What if there are five viable embryos?"

Dave leaned against the car. "We've talked about this. We won't have them implanted all at once."

Sebastian leaned next to him. "Yeah, I know. I still want three. But five could work." He smirked.

"Remember, it might not work out the first time. Miscarriages happen. And sometimes they don't even take."

"We said we wouldn't think about this too much." Sebastian said, slipping his hand into Dave's. "I have to get back to work."

"I'm done for today." Dave smiled and kissed him. "Don't be too late please."

"Okay. I can probably just get all my paperwork and come home. And we have all weekend." He pulled Dave to him by his lapels. "I'll see you in a while, baby."

"You want me to cook or are we going out?"

"Take out. And your favorite movie. And the two of us stretched out on the couch."

"I like the sound of that. And I like your head resting on my chest."

"It's a date then." Sebastian pulled him in for a kiss. "I'll see you at home."

"Don't be late." Dave said again as he walked off to his car a few spaces away.

Sebastian waved.

* * *

Sebastian came into the house and found it dark. "David?" he called.

"In the kitchen." He called back.

He walked into the kitchen to see the table lit with candles. The places were set and Dave walked over with a pan to fill the plates. "Hello, what's this?"

"I wanted to do something nice. We've both been working so hard lately and trying to figure out all this baby business that we haven't done a whole lot for just us." He walked away and brought over another pan. "I don't want our passion to burn out this quickly. The only time we do more than talk about the egg donor and the surrogate and the baby is when we have sex. And I don't want our life together to just be that. I want more."

"So?" Sebastian stepped forward.

"Sit, babe. You want you want beer, pop, or water?"

"Beer me, baby. It's been a long day."

"And tomorrow's Friday. We have that thing with Mitch and Sasha."

"Oh, yeah. Is Mel coming?"

He handed a bottle to his husband and then sat down with a glass of water. "I think so. We finally get to meet this new guy."

"And your thoughts as her best friend?"

Dave cut into his food and shrugged. "She hasn't talked to me much about him. I don't know if it's because she wants me to form my own opinion or what."

"Maybe."

"If she likes him, I kind of have to like him."

"Not really."

"Well, if I don't it could ruin our friendship. And she was the one who helped me find my feet around here. I'd hate to lose her."

"So let's hope either you like him or it doesn't last forever if you don't."

He smiled. "Yeah."

Sebastian paused and sat back.

"What?"

"I'm just sometimes so shocked that this is our life."

"Is that god or bad?" Dave asked nervously.

"It's good. And when this table is filled with our kids all trying to get our attention, we'll know for sure it's right."

He smiled and put his hand on Sebastian's knee. "I'm not a very religious person, you know that, but I'm praying so hard for this."

"I know." Sebastian leaned over and kissed his cheek. "You're amazing. And if we don't have kids this way, we are going to adopt. From all over the world. Like Brangelina."

Dave chuckled. "I think I like that idea. But an adorable Asian with the last name Karofsky-Smythe seems kind of odd."

"Hey, it happens." Sebastian laughed. "We'll do this. I can go the rest of my life without raising a family, I just choose not to."

* * *

"You're here!" Mitch said when he opened the door. "So are you parents yet?"

Sebastian handed over a bottle of wine. "We have to wait until we have viable embryos."

"Well, that's nice to know."

"Sasha!" Dave called when he saw his friend. He grabbed her hands and said genially. "Sei stanotte così caldo."

"Grazie." She said kissing both his cheeks.

"Cosa stai facendo?"

"Ho iniziato una nuovo dieta."

"Well, it's working, whatever it is. I may have to try it. Got to keep up with this one." He wrapped an arm around Sebastian's waist and pulled him to his side. "Look how hot he is."

Sebastian blushed. "Stop, David."

"Is that them?" A man asked from the other room.

"Yeah, come on." Mel pulled the man into the hall. "Brad, this is my best friend Dave and his husband Sebastian. Guys, this is Brad."

"Oh, Brad." Sebastian sang as he held out his hand. "Nice to meet you."

Dave looked the man up and down critically. He wasn't even cracking a smile. In fact, Dave saw barely hidden disgust on his face. He shook Brad's hand and squeezed it tight. He didn't like this guy. There was a vibe he was getting that he didn't appreciate.

He let go and slipped a hand into Sebastian's. "So what do you do, Brad?"

"I'm an architect." He said as they all walked into the living room.

"An architect? And do you get to work much these days."

Sebastian sent an elbow into his side. "Don't start, Dave." He hissed.

"Just getting to know Brad." He said, rubbing his side. "You have very pointy elbows. God."

Brad went on, "I work pretty consistently. I'm also a contractor. I do a lot remodeling work. Rich people can't keep one design for long." He smiled at the hosts. "No offense."

"I like my home the way it is." Sasha said. She seemed not to like him much either. "I have hors d'oeuvres." She left the room.

"I'm going to help." Dave followed. He whispered, "Is he as big of an ass as I'm thinking or am I just being protective of my friend?"

"He's that big of an ass." She took out a bottle of white wine from a bucket of ice. "Lui è un idiota. He talks about himself non-stop. I don't know what she sees in him."

"Well, he _is_ hot."

"Vero. And maybe he's good in bed."

"Maybe. What do you want me to get?"

"The glasses and wine, per favore."

He brought the things into the living room to find Sebastian talking about where they were in the baby process. "We gave our own samples yesterday and are now awaiting news about embryos."

Brad looked uncomfortable. Dave held his tongue from saying anything. He poured wine and passed out glasses as Sasha passed around a tray of assorted appetizers.

"How can you not want to know if the kid is yours?" Mitch asked.

"It _is_ going to be ours. Both of ours." Sebastian explained. "Whoever biologically fathered the baby isn't an issue. We're both healthy and we want a healthy baby. That's all that matters in the end. As long as the kid is genetically related to one of us."

"That's so sweet." Mel said.

Sasha agreed, babbling in Italian for a moment before saying, "I wish the best for you." She kissed both of them on the cheeks and had tears in her eyes. And then she left the room again with her hand over her mouth.

There was an awkward silence until Mitch said, "We found out the other day that we have too many problems between us, so we're not going to have an easy time of having a baby ourselves."

"That sucks, man. I'm sorry." Dave said softly.

"We're discussing adoption." Mitch said. "We both _want_ a baby, but if it's not one we have ourselves, we want to give a better life to a kid who needs it." He stood. "I'll be right back."

The other four sat in awkward silence for a while.

Finally Mel broke it, "So when will you know?"

"We should know something in just a few more days." Dave said.

"So in a month we could be pregnant." Sebastian said, draping his arm over the back of the sofa he and Dave were sharing.

A few minutes later Mitch and Sasha came back into the room. Her eyes were rimmed in red. "I'm sorry." She said softly.

They talked no more about babies for the rest of the evening.


	7. Chapter 7

_Author's note: There are some good things and some bad things ahead. I apologize for the bad things. It all works out in the end, I promise. Thank you for the reviews and follows. Feel free to keep them coming._

_Happy reading!  
_

Chapter Seven

Dave hung up the phone and stretched. He'd been talking for what seemed like hours making a few final negotiations for Mitch's new contract. He put his head on the desk. And then the intercom buzzed.

"Yes?" he said, sitting up.

"I have Sebastian on line one." His assistant said.

"Thank you." He picked up the phone. "Hey, babe, what's up?"

"We're pregnant." Sebastian said happily on the other end.

Dave chuckled, "What? Are you sure?"

"I am. When are you coming home? I want to have people over to celebrate."

"Maybe we should wait a while, babe. You know we heard the statistics about miscarriage."

There was silence on the other end.

"I'm sorry I brought that up. But I don't…I'm happy about this, but I don't want a big party this early. Maybe just Emily and Tabitha."

"Okay. I wonder how much Tabby understands about this surrogacy thing." Sebastian wondered softly.

"I'm sure Emily has explained it as best as she can to a seven-year-old." He leaned back in his chair. "Why didn't you call my cell?"

"I did. You left it at home or something. I tried four times."

"Damn. Okay. Fantastic. So as to time, I think I'm about an hour away from being done here. What about you?"

"Done for the day. I'll call Emily back and invite them over. I love you, David."

"And I love you, Sebastian. I'll see you in a little over an hour."

"See ya, baby."

Dave hung up the phone. He turned around and looked out the window over the city. His dad had been right. Everything changed as soon as you became a father. Well, found out there was a baby on the way.

He tried to work for a little while longer, but he couldn't focus. He shut down his laptop and put it away. He gathered a few files and stuffed them in his bag as well. He stepped out of his office and turned to his assistant.

"Hey, Mike. I'm going to take the rest of my work home. If there are any calls, take a message. Unless it seems urgent, then patch them through to my cell. Leave at five and not a minute later. I know how much of a workaholic you can be."

"Sure thing, boss." The young man said.

"See you later, kid." He smiled and left the building with a bounce to his step.

When he stepped through the door, Sebastian caught him around the waist in a tight hug.

"Mm. Hi." He said, kissing his husband's cheek.

He pulled back. "How's it going, baby?"

"Fine." A phone started ringing. "Is that mine?"

"Yeah." Sebastian let go and handed Dave his phone from the coffee table. "Must have set it down while you were putting on your shoes."

"Yeah." He pushed the talk button. "Hello?...Mitch, hi…Yeah, we have the final deal out on the table. We should know something tomorrow…I left my phone at home…." He reached out and took Sebastian's hand and kissed it as he listened to his friend on the other end. "Okay, man, I'll talk to you when I know more. Bye." He hung up the phone and pulled Sebastian in. He kissed his husband softly and slowly and then pulled away, resting their foreheads together. "How is Emily? Are they coming over?"

"Yes, they'll be here at six. She says she's fine right now. Of course it's only been a couple weeks." He kissed Dave. "Want to kill an hour before I start supper?"

"Yes to the wasting time, but I'm cooking tonight. I feel like you always cook, babe. Even when you're in the middle of case preparation, you at least bring home take out." He put his hands on Sebastian's cheeks. "It doesn't have to be all you, baby."

"Okay. Fine. I'm just a better cook than you." He grabbed Dave's tie. "Now, you agreed to wasting a little time." He tugged him toward the bedroom.

Dave chuckled, pulling his coat off as they went.

Sebastian veered into the bathroom and leaned into the shower, turning the hot water up. He reached out and started undressing his husband who grinned silently, moving his arms as necessary. Sebastian leaned in and kissed his shoulder.

"I hope this honeymoon stage doesn't end." Dave said, combing his hands through the other man's hair as his mouth moved lower.

"We won't be able to do this when we have kids, especially little ones who like to wander." He unbuttoned Dave's slacks and pushed them down his thighs along with his underwear. "No more sex unless the door is closed and locked." He put his mouth around the tip of Dave's cock, swirling his tongue around it.

Dave moaned and put a hand on the back of his husband's head and forced him to take a little more of him in, which he did happily, humming around him. He rested his hands on Dave's hips, caressing them as he moved his head back and forth, taking more of him in as he went.

Dave put his head back and moaned louder. The nails of one hand dug into Sebastian's scalp and his other hand held tightly to his shoulder.

Sebastian removed his mouth and placed a kiss on his husband's hip as he stroked Dave with his hand. "Let's get in the shower." He murmured.

"Such a cocktease." Dave said, stepping out of his pants and moving the curtain back.

"I'll finish you off in there. I promise." Sebastian quickly shed his own clothes and stepped into the shower, pulling his husband in after him. He kissed Dave under the spray of the water as he picked up the bar of soap. He gathered the lather in his hands and then wrapped his soapy hand around Dave's length once more.

"Going for easy cleanup?" Dave panted against his lips.

"Hell yeah I am. We have company coming over." He squeezed gently as he moved his hand down and back up. He lowered his head and sucked hard on Dave's shoulder.

Dave wrapped his arms around Sebastian. "God, I love you." He breathed out. Then he reached down between them and started pumping his hand over Sebastian's cock in rhythm with his husband.

Their mouths came back together for a hard kiss. Sebastian grunted when Dave pushed him against the wall. Moments later Dave met his release. Sebastian kept his hand wrapped around Dave for a few more seconds, lost in the sensations of Dave's movements.

He raised his hands and put them on either side of Dave's face, his fingertips pushing into his wet hair. The kiss softened and he gasped into his husband's mouth in the moment after he came. Then he let out a long sigh and kissed Dave lazily.

"Fantastic." Dave panted.

"Yeah." Sebastian agreed.

Dave stepped away. "Pass me the soap."

* * *

Sebastian answered the door when Emily and Tabitha arrived. The girl threw herself at him, happily saying his name.

He picked her up. "Hey there, Tabby. How are you?"

"Good. We worked on multiplication today at school."

"Multiplication? In second grade?"

She nodded.

"My goodness. I didn't have to learn that until third grade, I think." He looked over to Emily. "Hello. And how are _you_?"

"Fine." She hugged him. "Where's your better half?"

"Finishing supper." He turned to the girl still in his arms. "Do you like hamburgers?"

She nodded enthusiastically. "It's my favorite."

Dave came into the room, wiping his hands on a towel. "Hey, you two."

Tabitha squirmed out of Sebastian's arms and ran over to Dave. "Hi, Dave."

"Hello, Tabitha." He kneeled in front of her. "And how is my favorite little girl?"

"I won't be your favorite if the baby my mom has for you is a girl." She said very seriously.

He tapped her on the nose. "You never know."

She put her arms around his neck. "But I'll still like you if you still like me."

"And I'll still like _you_ if you still like _me_." He kissed her cheek and then stood with her in his arms. "Who's hungry?"

"Me!" Tabitha said.

"How are you feeling?" Sebastian asked Emily as they walked into the dining room.

"Nervous." She said with a giggle.

"Yeah, me too." He shared a look with Dave.

"You guys will be great." She rubbed his back and then sat down with them around the table.

Tabitha said, "Will we still get to see the baby after it's born?"

"I think we can set that up." Dave said. "I'd hate to be friends with you guys for just a few months."

"I agree." His husband said from across the table. "We'll figure it out."

"Good." Emily said with a smile.

They all listened intently the rest of the evening as Tabitha rattled on about her day and talked about all her friends. Sebastian caught Dave's eye once and winked. He was keeping up with her better than Sebastian ever could.

Tabitha sat on Dave's lap after supper. She asked, "Why are you married to a man?"

"Because I love him. And he loves me for some reason." He smiled at his husband.

"So if you loved a woman you'd marry her?"

"Yeah. If I did. But I'm not attracted to women."

"Attracted?"

"Like them. I don't like them the way I like men. Does that make sense?"

"I think so." She gave her mother a thoughtful look. "The way my mom liked my dad."

"Exactly."

She nodded. "Okay. That makes sense."

Emily sighed, "Sweetie, we need to go. You have school tomorrow."

"Okay." She kissed Dave's cheek. "Are we going to come to my soccer game this Saturday?"

"I think we can manage that." He patted her back.

"Yay!" She hopped off his lap and then threw herself at Sebastian. "You're coming too, right?"

He picked her up. "I wouldn't miss it for the world!" He said as he spun her around. He put her back on the floor. "Take good care of your mom, okay?"

"Okay." She hugged him around the waist one more time and then stepped toward the door.

Emily hugged them both. "Thank you so much for having us over. We'll have to do the same sometime."

"Sounds great." Sebastian said, kissing her cheek. "Goodnight."

"Goodnight. Tab, what do you say to David and Sebastian?"

"Thank you for supper." She said, beaming.

"Any time, kiddo." Dave said, smoothing a hand over her hair.

The pair left and Sebastian leaned into his husband. "A good night, I say."

"Very good." Dave agreed. He kissed Sebastian's temple. "Let's get those dishes cleaned. I'm tired."

"You cooked. I'll clean. Sit back, relax. Want a beer?"

"Are you sure?"

"Of course I'm sure. Beer or not?"

"Beer sounds good." He brushed a kiss across his husband's lips and then sat down in front of the TV, turning on a procedural crime drama. He wasn't sure which one, but it really didn't matter.

Sebastian handed him a can and brushed his fingers down Dave's cheek. He left the room a moment later.

* * *

"Come on, baby, move it. We're going to be late." Sebastian called as he tied his shoes.

"I'm ready." Dave came into the living room. "Who's driving?"

"You know the city better than I do, baby." He picked up his keys from the end table and threw them at the other man. "You like driving my car anyway."

"Of course I do." He leaned over and kissed Sebastian. "Let's go."

In the car, Sebastian leaned over the center console and rested a hand on Dave's leg. He turned on the radio. Dave smiled as the other man started singing along.

_You put your arms around me  
And I believe that it's easier for you to let me go  
You put your arms around me and I'm home_

"You have an amazing voice." Dave commented, kissing Sebastian's hand.

"I'm rusty." He rested his head on Dave's shoulder.

"Even rusty you're better than I'll ever be."

"You're not bad." Sebastian reassured him.

"I'm not good either."

"You're still helping me sing to our kids."

"Especially this song?"

"Yes, most especially this song." He threaded his fingers through Dave's and continued with the last of the song. The next song on the CD started and Sebastian sat back. "I think this song describes us pretty well. Don't you?"

"I think this whole CD does. I never thought I'd like this kind of music."

"I know. You prefer cheesy 90s pop." He laughed. "I think I have Sir Mix-A-Lot in here somewhere."

Dave let out a deep belly laugh. "Put that shit in!"

Sebastian laughed along with him. "I'll have to dig. Hold on." He found the CD in question and popped it in. They played Baby Got Back on repeat as they made their way to the park to see Tabitha play soccer, both not missing a word as they rapped along.

Emily met them at their car. "Hey, guys. Tabby is going to be so happy you could make it."

Sebastian examined her for a moment. Something seemed off. "Are you okay?"

She bit her lip and looked away. "Today is supposed to be a good day. I didn't want to ruin it. I was going to tell you later."

"What?" he asked, wrapping an arm around her waist. "Has there been a complication?"

She nodded and looked between them, tears welling her eyes. "I'm sorry, but I lost the baby."

Dave took in a sharp breath and looked down.

Sebastian pulled Emily into his arms. "It's okay."

"No, it's not. You two were so happy. I want this for you."

"If you're willing to try again in a couple months…"

"I am. I definitely am."

"Stop." Dave said, looking up. "Don't talk about another baby. We just lost _this_ baby. My god, Sebastian. Can't you even focus on this for ten minutes?"

"Hey." Sebastian said, stepping up to him and placed his hands on Dave's upper arms. "I'm trying to be positive about this."

"I don't want to be positive."

"It's okay to be upset. But not here."

"Then I don't want to be here." Dave got back into the car and slammed the door. He put his head down on the steering wheel.

The passenger door opened.

"Seb, I—"

"It's not Sebastian." Emily said softly.

He looked over. "You know, I wasn't even sure about this until we found out it was really happening. I was already planning out the kid's life in my head. High school. Music and sports and friends. College. Family." He ran his hands over the steering wheel. "And now it's not. That dream's dead."

"It doesn't have to be. There are two more embryos. We'll try again in a few months. Mourn this, it's fine. But don't shut down." She gestured out the window at Sebastian who was surrounded by Tabitha and her friends. "Look at him. He's trying to keep it together himself. If you fall apart, so does he."

"And I can't do that to him." He looked over. "Or you. You have just as much riding on this."

"Only mood swings and cankles and a chronically sore back."

"Not to mention morning sickness."

"Exactly." She chuckled. Then she sobered. "I haven't said anything to Tabby yet. I don't know how."

"You'll find the right words, Em. You're that kind of person."

"Thanks, David." She patted his arm. "I think the game's about to start. Are you okay?"

He nodded. "Are you?"

"Yes."

"Good. Let's go." He got out of the car and slipped a hand into Sebastian's. "Sorry." He mumbled as they made their way to the bleachers.

"Me too, baby." He threaded their fingers together and rested them on Dave's knee once they were seated. A few people sent them disdainful look. Sebastian kissed his husband's cheek and then started spinning the other man's wedding band around his finger as the teams took the field.


	8. Chapter 8

_Author's note: Thank you for reading! You guys are awesome! Please feel free to review and let me know what you think._

_Happy reading!  
_

Chapter Eight

"Babe." Dave sighed, rolling away.

Sebastian chuckled and put his hands behind his head. "I know."

He laughed and rolled over to kiss him on the neck. "Mm." He rolled away once more and stared at the ceiling.

They lay in silence for a while. Sebastian's hand found Dave's. "I want to try again."

"We will. When Emily is ready."

"It's been five months. Don't you think she's ready now?"

"Call her. You're the one she relates to the most."

"Yeah, I know. But how do I work up to that conversation? 'Hi, Em. How's it going? Ready to get knocked up again?'"

Dave chuckled. "Maybe not so blunt."

"Maybe." He rolled onto Dave's side and pressed his face into his neck. "I love you."

"And I love you." He kissed Sebastian's forehead. "Goodnight."

Dave lay awake for a long time, looking at the dark ceiling. The more he thought about it the more it frightened him. He wanted to have a family with Sebastian. They had talked about it almost nonstop since they started the whole process nearly ten months before. The weather turned colder. They were another year older and not much closer to the end.

Emily was busy and had started seeing a man and it seemed promising, so they had put things on hold. And then he dumped her and the last thing they all wanted was for her to go through the business of pregnancy while dealing with that. And then she started dating someone new.

Dave rolled out of bed and pulled his boxers on. He walked into the living room and turned the TV on. He watched an infomercial for a "revolutionary" onion chopper. He wasn't even paying attention.

"Gone with the Wind wastes a lot of time." Sebastian said from the hall.

He looked over. "Too much work. And I know how it ends. That's your movie anyway."

"And yours is The Sandlot."

"Yeah." He patted the spot beside him. "Come join me?"

Sebastian sat down and draped an arm over his shoulders. "What's wrong?"

"I don't think I'll be good at this, Seb."

"Good at what, baby?"

"Being a father. I know we haven't even implanted the other two embryos, but I just don't know."

"I think you'll be great. You've got the best role model to look at. Who do I have? A man who was too busy working and mourning his first love for seventeen years to pay attention to his son. And he always thought I was going through a phase. Paul never batted an eye at you. Ever. And he always makes me feel like a real person." He kissed Dave's cheek. "You'll be fine. And you're not alone in this, baby. You have me. You're stuck with me. I'm never letting you go."

Dave turned his head and kissed Sebastian. "Let's go back to bed. If I can't sleep, I'll at least not sleep in your arms."

* * *

Dave's cell rang as he got into his car after work a few days later. He had to throw his briefcase into the passenger seat and dug his phone out of his pocket. "Damn." He said when it stopped just as he went to press "Accept."

He checked the voicemail. "Hey, Davey, it's Dad. I bet you're busy. Just call me back. I want to talk about Thanksgiving."

He called back as he started toward home. "Hi, Dad."

"Hey, son. So I got my plane ticket. I'll be there Monday."

"Monday sounds good. What time?"

"Should be about five."

"Okay, I'm going to make sure my afternoon is clear so I can come get you."

"Great. How's Sebastian?"

"I feel like most of the time you like Sebastian more than me."

"Of course. I had to live with you for eighteen years."

Dave laughed. "Well, you're not getting rid of either of us any time soon. You may start to like Sebastian less."

"I doubt it." Paul said on the other end.

"Hey, listen, Dad. Sebastian is really stressed because he's in the middle of a case and we've also been dealing with the baby thing, so don't be too upset if he shuts himself away with the piano for a while."

"I'll keep that in mind."

They talked for a while longer, Dave pulled into his driveway. "Emily is here." He said absently.

"Emily? The surrogate?"

"Yeah."

Tabitha stepped out the door and waved enthusiastically.

"I'll talk to you later, Dad."

"Okay, bud. Take care."

Dave gathered his things and stuffed his phone in his pocket. He walked up to the girl. "Hey, Tab, long time no see."

"Hi, Dave. Can I help with something?"

He handed over his briefcase. "Be careful with that."

She nodded and walked inside.

He followed and found Sebastian and Emily sitting on the couch together. They were both smiling. Dave leaned down and kissed his husband. "Hey."

"Hey. Have a good day?"

"Can't complain. Our side's doing well."

"Good." He straightened up. "Hello, Emily. What's going on?"

Emily smiled. "I think we should try again, if you two are ready."

Dave chuckled and nodded. "Well, I am." He squeezed Sebastian's shoulder. "Is that what that grin was for?"

"Yeah." He took Dave's hand and kissed it. "I am too. After Thanksgiving?"

"Yes. I've already gotten an exam and I'm ready. So I guess we can set up with your people and pray for success this time."

Dave nodded.

Tabitha walked over and wrapped her arms around Dave's waist. "It will work out this time. I can feel it."

He patted her back. "Thanks, Tab."

"I say we should order some Chinese." Sebastian said. "What do you guys think?"

"I love Chinese!" Tabitha said, jumping onto the other man's lap. "Can we stay, Mom?"

"I have a date tonight, remember? And you are going to stay with Mrs. Hall."

"But I want to stay with Dave and Sebastian." She wrapped her arms around the latter's neck.

"Sweetheart, I don't think Dave and Sebastian are prepared for that."

She looked between the men. "Can I?"

"If your mom has already made plans for you, you should stick with them." Dave said. "We can maybe do it another night."

She poked out her lip. "Okay."

"We'll have Chinese." Sebastian said conspiratorially. He kissed her cheek.

She sulked out the door.

"A date, huh?" Sebastian asked as they walked out to the car with her.

"Yeah." She smiled shyly.

"The same guy you've been with for the last couple months?"

"Yeah. I told him about the situation and he said it was very generous of me and he didn't know why I was holding off. We're not…" She looked over her shoulder to see where her daughter had gone. She leaned in. "We're not sleeping together. I promise. He's ridiculously old-fashioned and I'd like to believe that I am as well. I was married to Tabby's father, after all." She looked down. "We're taking it really slow. And I think the baby will keep that pace."

"Where did you meet this guy? Church?" Sebastian joked.

"Yes, actually." She admitted. "I know you were teasing, but it's true. And I haven't always been faithful, but I think my daughter needs the exposure to make her own choices when she's older."

"Hm." Dave glanced at Sebastian.

"What?" He asked almost defensively.

"We'll talk later." He wrapped an arm around his husband's waist. "I think it's great. Really. And once you move into the second trimester and are out of the danger zone, feel free to knock boots as much as you want."

She laughed and kissed their cheeks. "I'll call you." She got into the car.

"Hey." Dave ran around to the side and leaned down as she rolled the window down. "Do you have Thanksgiving plans?"

"Just me and Tab and the turkey."

"If you want, you can come over and spend it with us. My dad's coming in and I think you'll like him. And our friends Mitch and Sasha and Mel. And whatever guy Mel is dating next week. And you can bring the guy if he doesn't have any plans."

"We'll see." She waved and pulled out of the drive.

"So what was that look?" Sebastian asked as they went back inside.

"We don't ever go to church."

"Why is that important?"

"My dad brought me to church when I was a kid. And then we stopped. I don't know why. I guess he was doing the same for me as Emily is doing for Tabitha."

"You want to do it too?" He asked, pulling out their stack of take-out menus.

"We don't have to. It's fine."

"We'll talk about it when it's closer. When we know for sure."

"If this doesn't work out, we'll try again. And again until it happens." He took Sebastian's face in his hands and kissed him softly. "And if it doesn't we'll adopt. In fact, I think we should start working on that process anyway. You never know what could happen." He stepped away and picked up the menus again. "And I did say I want three."

"True. Can't hurt to get the home study done anyway. And the background checks and everything."

Dave picked up the paper for his favorite Chinese place. "Babe, why do you even look at the others? This place has the best egg rolls and fried rice and, well, everything. And you know it."

Sebastian chuckled and kissed his cheek. "I'll make the call and get one of everything. We can have breakfast in the morning." He pulled his phone out of his pocket.

"Oh, I forgot to tell you, my dad called. He'll be here Monday night."

"Great." He dialed the number and made the order as Dave poured himself a glass of milk and sat at the table. Sebastian hung up the phone and sat down beside him. He smiled.

"You seem better."

"I'm feeling better. Now that we know Em is back on board, everything seems to be falling into place. This case I'm on is just another case and I can do that. Win, lose. At the end of the day, I know I did my best. But with this…" He shrugged. "I'm ready to be a dad."

"I'm still scared out of my mind. But I'm ready to do it with you."

Sebastian leaned over and kissed him. "Good. I'm glad."


	9. Chapter 9

_Author's note: I know Thanksgiving was a couple weeks ago, but it didn't fit into the story until now. I hope you enjoy this. Please feel free to review and let me know._

_Happy reading!  
_

Chapter Nine

"Turkey is in the oven." Dave announced, walking into the living room.

Paul and Sebastian sat watching the morning news before the parade started; Paul in the chair and Sebastian on the couch. Dave walked over to his husband and kissed his cheek. He sat down and wrapped an arm around his shoulders.

"I'll be glad when next year you two aren't hanging all over each other." Paul commented around a yawn.

"What makes you think it's next year?" Sebastian asked, rubbing Dave's leg.

Paul laughed. "Good point. But you two are bordering on sickly sweet."

Dave smiled at his father. "We'll tone it down a bit, Dad. Especially when other people get here."

Sebastian's phone rang. "Speaking of." He reached into his pocket. "Hey, Em." He got up and walked into the other room to take the call.

"Sorry, Dad." Dave said as his husband walked out of the room.

"For what? You're in love." He shrugged.

Dave blushed. "Thanks."

They watched TV for a while in silence. Sebastian walked back into the room.

"Emily's boyfriend got called to work."

"Man, that sucks." Dave said.

"Yeah, I was looking forward to meeting the guy."

Paul said, "What does he do?"

"He's a doctor."

"Wow. And he's letting her have a baby for you?"

"Yeah, he's some sort of Jesus freak who thinks it's very generous of Emily to help those less fortunate."

"That's great, actually. He's not trying to take your money, is he?"

"I don't think so." Dave said, pulling Sebastian back down onto the couch. "When are they getting here?

"Em said they were about to head out the door."

"Fantastic. I need to get that relish tray put together so we can have something to snack on."

Mother and daughter arrived just as the parade was starting. Sebastian introduced the pair to Paul. Then Tabitha plopped herself down on the floor in front of the TV to watch the parade. Emily retreated into the kitchen to help Dave.

"I brought apple pie." She put it down on the table. "Can I help with anything?"

"The turkey still has three hours." He answered.

"Is there anything else that needs to be done?"

"Sebastian's got charge of the side dishes. He's a better cook. I just insisted on the turkey because I didn't want to seem lazy."

Emily laughed. "Okay, so come to the living room and hang out. The turkey needs to be left alone."

He nodded and followed her.

They found Tabitha sitting on the arm of the chair Paul was occupying, jabbering on about her mom's boyfriend.

"And he was still there this morning." She finished.

Emily turned red. "I swear he slept on the couch. He came over for dinner and a movie and it was late, so I told him I'd prefer it if he stayed. On the couch."

"Geez, Mom, how many times do you have to say it? Where else would he sleep? We don't have a guest room."

She laughed and kissed the top of her daughter's head. "Don't be a nuisance to Mr. Karofsky. Give him some space."

"It's fine." Paul said. "And I feel twenty years older when I get called 'Mr. Karofsky.' Paul is perfectly fine."

Emily nodded and sat down beside Sebastian on the couch.

"Don't worry too much about the sleeping over."

She nodded. "Kids, huh?"

"Yeah." He patted her leg. "I can't wait."

She laughed and put her hand on top of his.

They watched the parade, commenting occasionally on floats or the performances. Mel arrived alone. She pulled Dave aside and explained tearfully that the man she'd been seeing broke up with her.

"What is wrong with me, Dave? Why can't I keep a guy?"

"Hey." He pulled her to his chest and patted her back. "Don't worry. Today, you don't need a guy. You have us. You have _me_. I'm who matters, right? Your best friend? The one who tells you like it is? And this is how it is: you are a great woman. Any guy that doesn't see that is an ass. You deserve better than all the jerks you've dated up to now."

She sighed against his shoulder and lifted her head. "Thanks, Dave. You're a great guy."

"You're not so bad yourself."

She patted his chest and stepped away. "I'm not going to worry about anyone today."

"Good." He pushed her into the living room. "Now go greet my dad before he gets mad."

Mel leaned down and kissed Paul's cheek. "Hey, handsome."

"Melanie!" He stood and pulled her into his arms. "Happy Thanksgiving, kiddo." He held her at arm's-length. "Let me get a good look at you. Prettier every time I see you."

"Thanks, Paul. And look at you. Handsome as ever." She kissed his cheek.

Mitch and Sasha arrived carrying along a casserole.

The day progressed. Emily and Sasha helped Sebastian in the kitchen making the last of the food. Dave took the turkey out of the oven as Mel and Paul started setting the table.

"Tabby, come on. Lunch is ready." Emily said from the dining room.

"After Santa." She called back.

"You know what Santa looks like, Tab."

"Just a few more minutes?"

Her mother sighed. "Okay."

Sebastian stood beside Emily as she watched her daughter. She wrapped her arms around herself. She had a very loving look on her face.

"She's amazing." Sebastian said softly.

"Yeah, she is."

"Are you…?"

"What?"

He shook his head and wrapped an arm around her waist. "Thank you. I know Dave and I have both said it a thousand times, but there's no way to thank you enough for what you're doing for us. And if it doesn't work out this time, we won't expect you to try again. We've decided to adopt instead of spending all our money on expensive medical treatments that don't pan out."

"That's admirable. There are plenty of children who need family. But you never know what can happen."

"Say a few extra prayers for us, okay?" Sebastian asked, pulling her into a hug.

"I will."

Tabitha stood and turned off the TV. She walked over to her mother and Sebastian and added herself to the hug. Then she looked up. "I'm starving."

Emily laughed and smoothed a hand over her daughter's head. "Then let's go eat."

Paul sat at the head of the table and started carving the turkey. He passed around slices as the rest of the group passed around the side dishes. Mel, sitting on his left, filled Paul's plate.

Tabitha said grace before they dug in and then said over a mouthful of food, "I think we should all say what we're thankful for."

"That sounds great, Tabby." Paul said. "I'll start. I'm thankful for my son and son-in-law and this chance to get out of Ohio every once in a while."

Dave laughed. "I'm thankful for my family, both the ones I was stuck with from the start and the others that have come along over the years by choice."

Sebastian patted his arm and then said, "Same here. Most especially for you."

Everyone said pretty much the same as they went around the table.

Except Tabitha who said, "I'm thankful for my mom's boyfriend because he likes me more than any other guy my mom has ever dated. And the baby she's going to have for Dave and Sebastian."

Emily smiled at her daughter and around the table. "I'm sorry John couldn't make it. He wanted to, but the hospital was short staffed today."

"It's perfectly fine, Em." Sebastian said.

They were all stuffed by the time the pies were cut and passed around. But they all ate every crumb anyway.

They retired into the living room after all the leftover food was put away and the dirty dishes loaded into the dishwasher. Dave turned on a football game. Sebastian, Emily, and Sasha talked together, only paying minimal attention to the game. The rest of the group cheered and rooted for teams on both sides.

Tabitha climbed up on Dave's lap and rested her head on his chest. He rubbed her back and played with her hair. He kept his attention on the game and still cheered, but not as enthusiastically, especially when he realized she was asleep.

Sebastian said, "We can put her on the bed in the office." He stood and lifted the girl in her arms.

Emily followed. "You two are going to be great." She commented as she pulled off her daughter's shoes.

Sebastian draped a blanket over her. "You really think so?"

"I do." She tugged on his arm. "Now let's get back to _not_ watching football."

* * *

"You are so hot." Sebastian said as he closed their bedroom door that night.

Dave chuckled and started to undress.

"I'm serious." He wrapped his arms around Dave's waist. "When Tabitha was on your lap and you were playing with her hair…" He pressed a kiss to his husband's lips. "I almost died. And I pictured our own daughter on your lap. Chestnut hair cascading through your fingers. Hazel eyes drooping closed…" He pulled Dave onto the bed.

Dave pulled away. "Not with my dad in the house, babe."

"We did last night." Sebastian nuzzled his husband's neck.

Dave chuckled, "Okay, but nothing too crazy."

"Of course not. We're too old for crazy." He threw Dave onto his back. Sebastian leaned down and whispered, "But I'm not too old to fuck your brains out."

"Mm. I like it when you decide to take charge."

Sebastian undressed Dave as he lay back on the bed. He kissed him hard on the mouth, grinding down on top of him. Dave groaned and fumbled for the bedside drawer.

Sebastian removed his mouth and found what his husband was looking for. He squirted some of the contents onto his hand and then started stroking his husband's hard length as he continued kissing him fiercely.

Dave moved his hands hungrily over Sebastian's backside. The other man sat back and shifted higher. He lowered himself over Dave and sat still. He raised himself up slowly and then back down more quickly. He moved fiercely, both of them bouncing on the bed and trying very hard not to get loud.

Sebastian slowed after a while and leaned forward. He kissed Dave and murmured to him, "Come for me, baby."

"Mm, just a bit more." he panted.

Sebastian leaned back again. And just a few slow movements later Dave gritted his teeth to keep from crying out. Sebastian stilled once more and took Dave's hand, wrapping it around his cock.

Dave smiled and stroked him soundlessly. Sebastian bit his lip and moaned. He put his head back. He felt the tension rising. He leaned back over Dave in the final moments before he met his release.

They pressed their smiling mouths together again and again. Sebastian rolled away with a sigh. "Well, I hope your dad didn't hear that."

"Yeah." Dave chuckled and rolled out of the bed.

"You hardly ever just lay here."

"I can't with my dad in the house. I at least need underwear on."

"Why did I marry you again?" Sebastian asked as he too got out of bed and dressed.

"Because you love me despite my faults." He walked back toward the bed, kicking their discarded clothes out of the way in the process. "Now let's go to sleep. My dad leaves tomorrow night and I want to spend all day with him before he does."

Sebastian turned out the light and climbed into bed with him. He shared a kiss with his husband before he rolled away. Dave rolled into him and wrapped his arms around the other man. He drifted to sleep to the sound of Sebastian snoring softly.


	10. Chapter 10

_Author's note: Here you go with the new chapter, my lovelies. I hope you like reading it as much as I liked writing it. Please feel free to review._

_Happy reading!  
_

Chapter Ten

"Merry Christmas!" Emily said, stepping into the house with a small wrapped box in her hand.

"Thank you, Em." Sebastian said, taking the gift she held out. "Where's Tabby?"

"Out Christmas shopping with John. They're getting me something special, according to my daughter." She chuckled and sat down on the couch with him. "And where is Dave?"

"He called saying he was ten minutes away…" he looked at his watch, "about fifteen minutes ago. Should be here soon."

"We should wait for him before you open that, then. It's for both of you." She said, leaning back on the couch.

"Would you like something to drink?"

"Water?"

"Sure thing. I'll get it." He walked into the kitchen.

A moment later the door opened and Dave called as he dropped his things down by the door and took off his coat, "Hey, baby, I have been thinking about you all afternoon and I cannot _wait_ to get you naked." He turned around. "And, hello, Emily. I sure hope Tabitha isn't here."

Emily shook her head as she laughed. "Sebastian, your husband's home."

Dave was bright red. "I am so sorry, Em."

Sebastian stepped through holding a glass of water. "What took you so long?" He handed off the glass and then accepted a kiss from his husband.

"I was doing a little last-minute shopping before our flight tomorrow. There was one last thing I wanted to get you."

Sebastian tried looking over his shoulder. "What is it?"

Dave stepped in front of his bags. "You'll get it Christmas Day." He pushed his husband toward the couch. "Now, let's sit down and talk to Emily."

"I have a present you can open right now." The woman said picking up the package she'd brought.

"Ooh, exciting." Dave sat beside her and took the present.

Sebastian sat beside him and they worked together to rip the paper. Inside there was a onsie with the words, "My Daddies rock" with a set of guitars crossed underneath.

"Oh, my God." Sebastian said, nearly falling off the couch. "You're…?"

She nodded. "You're going to be parents." Tears filled her eyes. "And I really hope it works out this time."

Dave patted her hand. "If it doesn't, we won't put you through this a third time. We've decided we couldn't handle it again."

Sebastian nodded and wrapped an arm around Dave's waist. "We can never thank you enough, Emily. You've given up almost a year of your life already. So thank you. And we have something for you." He stood and walked over to a small pile of gifts beside the door. He picked up two boxes and handed them to her. He pointed to the bigger of the two. "This one was Dave's idea. He thought it was 'cute.' And kind of counting his chickens before they hatched." He indicated the smaller box. "And this was my idea."

"Open the bigger one first so Seb's is even better and I get a good reaction anyway."

She chuckled as she opened the bigger box. Inside was a very large shirt that read, "Surrogate Mommy" on the front of it. "It _is_ cute, Dave." She leaned over and kissed his cheek. "Thank you. As soon as I'm big enough to wear it, I will. And it will the only one I can fit into probably."

Dave chuckled. "We'll make sure you always have clothes that fit, Em. That's part of our deal."

"Here," Sebastian gave her the smaller box. "This one can be for now."

Emily opened the small box and gasped. "A necklace? Is that a real diamond?"

"Yes." Sebastian said. "We have a matching one for Tabitha, but it's not real. We didn't think you'd like your eight-year-old wearing a diamond necklace."

"You guys don't have to do this." She said, passing the necklace back.

Dave pushed the box back to her. "You've given up your body to carry our baby for nine months. At the best, you have a little morning sickness and moodiness. At the worst, you'll wish you could just stay in bed all the time. You deserve this token of our appreciation, even if it doesn't work out again."

"I don't know what to say." She said, opening the box once more.

"You don't have to say anything." Sebastian kneeled in front of her. "Just take care of yourself."

She took his hand and put it on her stomach. "And this one, too. I promise."

He smiled and eyed her stomach. "It's so weird…"

She chuckled. "Just wait. It gets weirder. And I will be telling you every gruesome detail."

"Awesome." He laughed and sat back. "I can't wait."

"I don't bet you can." Dave rubbed his shoulder.

Emily stood. "I should be going. I'm sure you two have a lot of things to do before your trip."

"You don't have to run off." Sebastian said.

"I know, but I should get back to Tabby and John."

"Speaking of Tabby…" Sebastian returned to the pile. "Here, for her."

"Sure hers is fake? My daughter doesn't need diamonds around her neck." She laughed.

The men laughed. "Promise." Sebastian assured her.

"Good." She hugged them both and then gathered her things. "I'll have Tab call as soon as she opens this. She's going to be so happy."

"Thanks again, Em." Sebastian said as they walked toward the door with her.

"It's my pleasure." She hugged them again. "Have a great flight and a very Merry Christmas."

"You too." They said in eerie unison.

Once they were alone, they went about their final packing. Dave ducked into the spare room to wrap the last presents before he stuffed them in his carry on. They went to bed early since they had an early flight. But neither was able to sleep. They stayed up half the night talking about the baby.

"I want to start setting up the nursery after we get back." Sebastian said softly. He rolled toward Dave. "I have a really good feeling about this." He rubbed his husband's chest. "And I sort of went online while you were wrapping presents and picked out the perfect crib. We can build from there."

Dave smiled. "That sounds great." He pulled Sebastian's head onto his shoulder. "If we have a girl, I'd like to name her Katherine."

"For your mom?"

"Yeah. I always wanted a Katherine." He smoothed his hands down Sebastian's back. "Do you mind?"

"No, I don't. I don't have names picked out yet. I'm not that kind of guy. But I like Katherine. We can stick with Katherine."

"You should pick the middle name."

"And we can each pick a boy's name just in case."

"Sounds good." Dave yawned. "Let's try to get some sleep, babe."

"Mm, okay." He pressed a kiss to Dave's cheek and then rolled away.

"Hey." The other man protested as he rolled over and pulled Sebastian to his chest. "Better."

Sebastian sighed and rolled over to face him. He pushed his leg between Dave's knees. "Now it's better." He said, draping an arm over his shoulder.

* * *

"There are my guys." Paul said. "Hey, Davey." He pulled his son into a tight hug, which the other man returned.

"Hi, Dad." He pulled back. "You're looking good, old man."

He laughed and patted his stomach. "I've been working out. Got to keep in shape for the ladies."

Dave laughed. "And it's about time you got back into that."

"Baby, don't give your dad a hard time." Sebastian said as he took their last bag off the baggage claim.

"Listen to your husband." Paul said, hugging his son-in-law. "Come on, you two, it's been a long day." He picked up one of the suitcases and headed for the door.

Sebastian and Dave took the rest of the luggage and followed him. They caught up a little on the drive. Dave looked into the back seat where Sebastian sat.

He asked, "Should we?"

"Should you what?" Paul asked.

"I say go for it." Sebastian said. "You said you wanted to."

"But are _you_ sure?"

"What is going on? Is someone dying?" Paul asked over their argument.

"We're having a baby." Dave said.

"You're what?" Paul said, nearly driving off the road.

"Having a baby. You're going to be a grandfather."

Paul drove on in stunned silence for a few minutes. Finally he said, "Granddad."

"What?" Dave asked.

"'Grandpa' sounds like an old man. I'm not old. So I want your kids to call me 'Granddad.'"

"I think that can work." Sebastian reached out and patted Paul's arm. Then he sat back and listened as the men in the front seat talked quietly together.

"Dad…" Dave began. He looked over his shoulder at Sebastian in the back. He was playing around on his phone.

"What?" Paul asked.

"How do I do this?"

"Do what, kid?"

"Be a dad. I'm not sure how this will work out."

"I didn't know either. No one does, no matter if you had a good father or not. I had a great one, but I still didn't know if I was doing anything right or not. And after your mom died and I had no one to check in with, I worried all the time. She always cooked and did the shopping. I just did the best I could do with you. And you didn't turn out so bad." He gave his son a proud smile. "You'll be fine."

"Thanks, Dad." He said softly.


	11. Chapter 11

_Author's note: Here you are, lovely people! I hope you like all the wonderful things that are happening/will happen in the very near future. I appreciate all the love in the form of reviews and favorites and follows. You guys are awesome!_

_Happy reading!  
_

Chapter Eleven

Sebastian collapsed on the couch with a sigh. "Home."

Dave chuckled and sat down beside him. "Yes." He wrapped his arms around his husband and nuzzled his neck. "Happy anniversary."

"It's tomorrow." Sebastian said as he shifted, pulling Dave on top of him.

"I know. But I'll take any excuse to celebrate." He clamped his mouth over the other man's and pressed him into the couch. As their tongues danced together, Dave slipped his hand under Sebastian's shirt. "Want to go to bed?"

"Hm. I see your bed and raise you a shower." He growled.

"Sounds great." He got up and hauled Sebastian to his feet.

In the bathroom, Dave turned on the shower as Sebastian started to undress.

"Aren't you going to wait for me?" Dave gathered the other man in his arms.

They kissed lazily as they undressed each other and then stepped under the spray. Their touches were unhurried. Dave pushed Sebastian against the wall and trailed kisses across his jaw. He nibbled on Sebastian's earlobe which elicited a groan from the other man.

Sebastian grabbed his ass and squeezed. "God, you're perfect."

"Not even close." He purred in his husband's ear. "But I try."

He chuckled and brought his hand around to wrap around Dave's hard length. Dave braced his hands on the wall and moaned into Sebastian's mouth and thrust into his husband's fist. Sebastian slipped his other hand into his husband's hair. He broke the kiss.

"I love you." He panted. "I love the way you feel in my hand. And I love the way it feels when you come all over me."

Dave smiled and took charge of his mouth again. He grunted as the tension reached its peak. He broke away with a gasp as he came. He leaned into Sebastian, panting.

Sebastian held him and rubbed his back. "Just like that."

Dave kissed him gently and then stepped away. He picked up the soap and started working up a lather.

"Not fair." Sebastian turned him around by his shoulders and pushed him down.

Dave smiled as he lowered himself to his knees and took Sebastian into his mouth. He ran his hands over Sebastian's legs and ass. He hummed around his cock as the water from the shower fell on his head.

Sebastian leaned his head back and ran his fingers through Dave's wet hair. "That's better."

Dave removed his mouth with a pop. He licked him from base to tip.

The other man let out a long sigh and placed his hand on the back of Dave's head. "Don't stop."

He took Sebastian in once more, moving slowly.

Sebastian moaned, "Uh-uh." And then he placed his hands on either side of Dave's head and started thrusting faster.

Dave stopped him, but then continued at the same pace.

"Yeah, baby, that's it." Sebastian encouraged.

It was only a short time later when Dave felt the familiar sensations of the moments before Sebastian came. He gave a familiar moan that ended in a bit of a whine as the warm liquid hit the back of Dave's throat. He pulled away and spat into the swirling drain.

"Why do you do that?" Sebastian panted.

"Because I can't make myself swallow." He stood and pressed a kiss to Sebastian's mouth. He picked up the soap once more and continued bathing.

Sebastian stood behind him and wrapped his arms around his husband's waist. He kissed his shoulder. "You're hot."

"You're not so bad yourself." Dave said, patting Sebastian's hand.

* * *

Sebastian trailed kisses down Dave's neck the morning following their anniversary. "Wake up, baby. I have something for you."

"I know exactly what you have for me." He rolled over and wrapped a leg around Sebastian's waist. "So give it to me."

Sebastian chuckled and pushed his husband onto his back. He brushed a series of soft kisses over his mouth and then pushed himself up. "Call in sick."

"I can't, baby, I have an important meeting. You know that." He ran his hands up Sebastian's back. "You have a lot too. We already took a whole week off and a day. And you've only been there a little over a year."

Sebastian sighed. "We should have taken one more day."

"We couldn't. And we made love almost all day yesterday." He grabbed Sebastian's ass. "Just make love to me this morning so we can get on our way."

The other man smiled and went back to his feather light kisses over Dave's body. They made love slowly, never breaking eye contact. They murmured words of love to each other until they came together in one glorious moment.

Dave pulled Sebastian down for one last kiss before the other man got up and stretched. "I hate having to leave you after making love all day yesterday. I've never felt closer to you."

"Reality, babe." Dave stretched. "But one more shower together, I think, could just help us transition." He got up and headed toward their bathroom.

* * *

Dave walked into the diner where he was supposed to meet the others. They'd been having weekly dinners with Emily and Tabitha since they had returned from Ohio. Now it was the middle of March. She was over the most of her morning sickness, so she said.

Emily stood and waved him over. It was just her today. She pulled him into a hug. "Hey, there."

"Em, you are getting so big." He pulled away and put a hand on her stomach. "Are you supposed to be this big already?"

"Well, there's something about that I need to tell you. But we need to wait for Sebastian."

"Someone say my name?" He said from behind Dave.

"Hey, you." His husband turned and gave him a quick kiss in greeting before he relinquished him to the woman across the table. "Emily was on the verge of saying something important."

The waitress stopped by their table and took their drink order.

Emily returned to the conversation. She was smiling broadly as she began, "Dave was just commenting about how big I am."

"How dare you." Sebastian admonished his husband playfully.

She chuckled. "Well, I suspect that you're having twins." She rubbed her stomach.

"Twins?" They said at the same time.

"What do you mean suspect?" Sebastian asked.

"I mean that I have noticed that I'm bigger than I should be at only three months. The morning sickness is a little more violent. And remember the doctor said there was a bit of an abnormality with the heartbeat? They ran a few tests last time. I have an appointment next week to find out the results and have an ultrasound. Are you going to be there?"

"Of course." Sebastian said. "I already have my schedule cleared. Don't you, baby?"

Dave draped an arm over his chair. "I've got a meeting that morning that I've changed twice already, so I may be a little late."

"Just do your best." Sebastian patted his leg and then moved away to look at his menu. "Where is Tabitha today?"

"There's a father/daughter thing at church tonight and Tabby convinced John they should go together. It was really sweet. I think she might steal him from me if I'm not careful."

They chuckled.

Dave said, "_I'd_ steal him from you if he'd have me."

"Hey!" Sebastian said, putting on a mock hurt face. He laughed. "Oh, who am I kidding, I'd steal him too. He's damn near perfect."

They ordered and then went on to talking about the possibility of twins.

"I think it's just so cool. Two for the price of one." Emily joked. "Probably not so cool for my body."

"I feel like you'll always be beautiful, Em." Sebastian said, placing a hand on top of hers.

"Stop trying to flatter me, Sebastian, you don't have to ever see me naked."

"I wouldn't mind. I have an appreciation of the female form."

"You _would_ mind. Stretch marks, saggy boobs."

The waitress came over right at that moment with their food. Emily looked embarrassed and rubbed her stomach absently.

"Oh, don't worry, honey." She said as she distributed the food. "I have one of my own."

"Yeah, I have one already. She's eight."

"Mine's five." The waitress commented. "The years have gone by so fast. I don't know what I'll do when she's eight." She chuckled. "How far along are you?"

"Three months." Sebastian said.

"Are you the father?"

"One of them." Emily said. "I'm their surrogate." She indicated both men.

"Well, that's just so great." She gushed. "I think that's just one of the sweetest things someone can do for someone else. I'd just be so scared I'd get attached."

"We don't plan on throwing Emily out on her ear as soon as we get our babies." Dave said. "She and her daughter have become great friends."

"That's so kind." The waitress said dreamily. "I'll let you eat. I'm sorry, I can jabber on all day." She waved and moved on to her next table.

"She was more into it than anyone we've ever told." Dave commented as he brought his burger to his mouth.

Sebastian watched him a moment, oddly mesmerized by the way his jaw moved. He smiled when his husband caught him looking. He leaned in and whispered, "I love you."

"You too, babe." Dave returned, rubbing his lag under the table briefly.

At the end of the meal, Dave grabbed the bill before Emily could reach out to get it. They walked out together to her car and stood talking in the chill of the late winter air.

"So the appointment is Wednesday at 10:30." She reminded them.

"I took the morning off." Sebastian assured her. "We'll be there." He wrapped an arm around Dave's waist. "Right, baby?"

"I'll make sure my meeting is over as quickly as possible."

Both men hugged Emily and sent her on her way. Then they walked toward Sebastian's car. "You riding with me?"

"Would you mind? I walked here."

"Sure thing. Do you want to go get your car now or wait?"

"Let's wait. I want to get home. It's been a long day."

"Okay."


	12. Chapter 12

_Author's note: Here you have the first ultrasound appointment._

_Happy reading!  
_

Chapter Twelve

"I'm sorry, we can't hold the appointment." The receptionist said. "If you don't go back now, we have to reschedule. Others are waiting."

Sebastian sighed and looked down at his phone one more time. "Let's just do it, Em." He sent off a text to Dave, "_Going back._" And silenced his phone for the moment.

Emily asked, "If David Karofsky-Smythe shows up, could he be sent back?"

"Yes, ma'am. Though we usually frown on so many people in the room."

"They're the parents. I'm just the vessel." Emily argued.

"He'll be sent back if he arrives." She assured them.

They were shown to a room by a nurse and Emily was told to lie down on the table. The pair talked for a short time, Sebastian checking his silent phone every few seconds.

"Why isn't he answering?"

"I don't know, Seb." Emily said softly.

"He better have a good fucking excuse." He said, growing agitated.

"Please just stay calm. This time is a good time. Neither of us need stress when we're about to see your baby for the first time."

He nodded.

The ultrasound technician came in a short time later. "Hello, how are you feeling today, Emily?"

"Gigantic." She said simply.

The tech laughed. "I understand that feeling." She patted her own stomach. "I get to see what it's like on the other side of all this. I need you to lay back and lift up your shirt."

Emily did and then shivered when the jelly was squirted on her belly.

Sebastian leaned forward and looked at the screen as it went from black to grey. "Is that it?" he asked as the screen shifted.

"Yes." The woman said with a smile. She fiddled with a knob on the side of the screen. "Do you hear that? The heartbeat?"

"It's so fast." He said in wonder.

"I think…" She moved the paddle around and paused. "Yep. Congratulations. Twins." She moved the paddle some more and clicked on a few things. "I'm taking some measurements." She explained. After a few more clicks she said, "Everything looks perfectly normal. Here is the one we will call Baby Number One." She pointed on the left side of the screen. "And this is Baby Number Two." She made a few notes on the screen with one hand as she continued to move the paddle around.

"Can you tell if they're boys or girls or…?" Sebastian asked.

"Still a bit too soon." She moved the paddle around a little more and said, "They're hiding it anyway. You got a couple shy ones in there. We can usually make an educated guess about this time, but we really wouldn't be able to tell with much certainty until about five months." She sat back and wiped the paddle and Emily's stomach. "There is some genetic testing that you can have voluntarily and that will tell you. But unless you have any fears, I wouldn't advise it. There is a risk of miscarriage, especially this early on."

"And we don't want that." Sebastian wiped at his eyes. They were suddenly damp.

Emily squeezed his hand and sat up.

The tech clicked around on the screen a few times and did some typing. "I'm getting you some pictures to show off. Do you have any questions?"

"When do we need to come back?" Sebastian asked.

"Not for another couple of months. Go to your regular OB appointments and if they have any concerns, they will send you earlier."

"Sounds good." Emily said, looking toward Sebastian. "Yeah?"

He nodded. "Maybe Dave can make the next one."

"I hope so."

The ultrasound technician handed over a roll of pictures. "Here are your babies." She pointed.

On the top of them they said "Oliver Baby One and Oliver Baby Two."

"Why does this say Oliver?" Sebastian asked as he looked at the pictures.

"Because Emily is the patient. I know she's your surrogate, but she's the one whose womb we're looking at. It's crazy and a little frustrating, but it's how it is. I'm sorry if it's confusing. But you shouldn't be upset. These are your babies and will have your last name when they're born." She stood. "Anything else?"

They shook their heads.

"Okay, I'll show you to the front."

"Are you okay?" Emily asked softly as they stepped into the elevator.

"I don't know." He mumbled.

* * *

"Sebastian?" Dave called as he walked through the door.

There was no answer.

"I know you're here. You're car's out front." He walked into the kitchen.

"Did you forget how a phone works?" Sebastian asked from the table. There was a bottle of beer in his hand and two more empty bottles in front of him.

"I'm sorry, my meeting ran over—"

"You could have sent me a text. Or had your assistant answer your fucking phone."

"My assistant as in the meeting with me to help take notes. That's why it went to voicemail." Dave was working hard to keep calm.

Sebastian scoffed and finished off the contents of the bottle. He got up and retrieved another from the fridge. He popped it open. "You could have found a way. I was worried. And I was _pissed_ _off_. Was this not important to you at all?"

"It was. It is. And I'm sorry, I screwed up. It won't happen again."

"It sure as hell better not." He picked up the ultrasound pictures from the table and threw them at him. "We're having twins." He stomped out of the room, drinking as he walked.

Dave picked the pictures up off the floor where they had dropped. Slowly, he unfolded them. His throat tightened as he looked at the images. It wasn't just because of the babies, though that was a part of it.

What was really hurting him was realizing just how much Sebastian wanted this, needed this. These babies were all he had as far as natural family. They were his future. And Dave had thrown that away in his eyes. He folded up the pictures and went in search of his husband.

He sat in the living room, staring at the blank TV.

"I'm sorry." Dave said from the doorway.

Sebastian said nothing, just took a drink.

"Want me to make supper?"

"I'm not hungry." He took another pull from the bottle in his hand.

"Drinking your dinner, I see."

"David, don't you fucking start."

"What do you want from me?" Dave said in exasperation.

"To act like this is matters to you."

"God dammit, Sebastian!" He screamed. "What do I have to do to make this up to you?"

"Show up! And answer your phone. Or make a fucking call when you know you're not going to be there. How was I supposed to know you were still in your meeting or broken down on the side of the road or dead?"

"I wanted to be there."

"Then you should have called." He got up stumbled out of the room past Dave into the kitchen.

"Please don't drink another."

"Don't tell me what to do, David!" He yelled. "I had enough of that from my father growing up." He threw the bottle at the trash and it missed, shattering on the floor. "Shit!" He shouted as he leaned down to pick up the larger pieces. He hissed and brought his hand to his mouth. "Fuck." He said in a sob.

Dave sighed and ripped a paper towel from the roll as he kneeled down beside him. "Let me see." He took Sebastian's hand and pressed the towel to the cut on his finger. He got up and found the first aid kit.

"I felt so alone." He cried as Dave tended his wound. "I needed you to be there with me and you weren't."

"I'm sorry, babe. I really am. I won't let it happen again."

Sebastian said nothing, wiping his face with his other hand.

"You're important to me. These babies are important to me. And I promise from this day on, I will never miss out on anything unless I am dying." He kissed Sebastian's cheek. "I love you."

Sebastian was quiet as Dave finished wrapping his finger. After a minute he said, "It was so cool hearing their heartbeats and watching them move. Too early to tell gender." He sniffed and leaned into Dave. "I had this irrational fear in the back of my mind that you changed your mind." He sniffed again. "That these babies were too much. I was too much."

He kissed the other man's temple. "Sebastian, baby, you are very often too much. But I can never get enough."

Sebastian gave a watery chuckle.

"I'll clean this all up and make supper. Go lay down on the couch. Relax. I'll make this up to you as best I can."

He nodded and hauled himself up off the floor with Dave's help.


	13. Chapter 13

_Author's note: Here is the moment you've all been waiting for: the name reveal! Well, maybe you've been waiting for it, I don't know. lol I hope you like what Lacey and I have decided on. They kind of just came to us, especially the J name for me. Let us know what you think._

_Happy reading!  
_

Chapter Thirteen

"Not the Jimi Hendrix again." Dave said as Sebastian put a CD in the player.

"They like Hendrix." He sat down beside Emily and leaned close to her bulbous stomach. "Don't you?"

"They're kicking." She said. "Both of them. I think they're fighting."

"Over the music." Dave said. "One of them likes this and the other doesn't."

"Which of them will like the cheesy pop and which will like the actual good music?" Sebastian asked, rubbing Emily's stomach.

"Well, since you have decided to name the boy _Jimi_, I think I know." Dave teased, sitting on the other side of her.

"You agreed to it." Sebastian shot back kindly.

"What will you do if they both hate your music tastes?" Emily asked, looking between the men.

"Well, I won't know what to do with myself." Sebastian sat back. "Music is a large part of my life."

"Why don't you turn off the Hendrix and play something on that new piano you just had to have?" Dave suggested.

"You just want to get rid of me. I see how it is." Sebastian stood up and switched off the radio. He sat down to the piano and played through a few scales and chord progressions to warm up.

"Are you feeling okay?" Dave asked the woman as he sat back.

"Not any worse than a few minutes ago when you asked." She smiled. "Relax, if there is a change, I will let you know."

He nodded.

"So, Jimi?" she asked casually.

He nodded again, a grin growing across his face. "Jimi Marshall. We haven't settled on a middle name for the girl, but her first name will be Katherine. For my mother."

Sebastian called from the piano, "Did you tell her that, though you protest too much, you decided on Marshall because of Hendrix? Because you actually like him and only pretend not to for me."

"Maybe a little." Dave admitted in a whisper to their friend.

"I like it. Jimi Marshall Karofsky-Smythe. That's a mouthful." She chuckled.

"Sebastian wants Margaret for the girl."

She grabbed his hand and put it back to her stomach. "They're moving again."

"Wow." He breathed out. "If we're ever too much in your personal space, let us know."

"You're the parents, I'm just the receptacle. If you weren't handsy at all, I'd be worried."

Sebastian started singing softly from the piano.

"Oh no, he's breaking out the 'NSYNC." Dave grumbled with a goofy grin on his face.

"Is he trying to butter you up for something?" She mumbled.

"Maybe to accept his choice for Katherine's middle name."

"_I lie awake  
I drive myself crazy  
Drive myself crazy  
Thinking of you  
Made a mistake  
When I let you go baby  
I drive myself crazy  
Wanting you the way that I do_"

"He's singing one of your favorite songs." She commented. "I'd say yes." Her phone rang and she reached toward the coffee table, but couldn't quite get it.

Dave handed it to her.

"Thanks." She smiled gratefully. "Hey, Nabby-Tabby, what's up?" She listened, rubbing her stomach. "Well, tell John I'm coming home soon and we'll sort it out then." She paused again. "Don't get mad, Tabby….Well he's going to be your stepfather, so you're going to have to deal with it…If he says no, then I say no…Calm down and think before you act. I'll be home soon."

She hung up and realized she was met with silence.

"Stepfather?" Sebastian asked.

She blushed. "Did I forget to mention that?"

"Yeah, maybe." Dave said with a smile spreading across his face. "Congrats."

"Thanks. He asked Tabby's permission before he asked me."

"Oh, that's so sweet." Sebastian gushed.

"Yeah, it is." She moved to the edge of the couch. "I have to get going."

The men each took an arm and helped her up.

"Are you okay to drive these days?" Dave asked gently.

"Of course. I can still reach the steering wheel. And if it starts to be a problem, I'll figure it out. Maybe have John drive me everywhere."

They walked with her to her car. "Just know that if you need a ride, we will move around whatever we need to help." Sebastian assured her.

As soon as she was gone, Dave pulled Sebastian close and kissed him. "Okay."

"Okay what?"

"Katherine Margaret sounds like a wonderful woman. I know with you as a dad, she really will be."

"And what about you, baby? You don't think your influence will help?"

"You're the one with all the talent. You have all the confidence. I don't have much of either most of the time."

"Oh, stop it." He kissed Dave. "You're great all around. And you have talent; it's just in a different place."

* * *

"Preeclampsia." Emily announced in explanation to her bed rest orders.

"That's why you were dizzy and stuff?" Dave asked.

"And the headaches." She said as she nodded. "So I'm stuck here until my blood pressure goes down."

"What can we do?" Sebastian asked as he sat down on the edge of her bed.

"Just come and visit me so I don't get too bored." She chuckled. "John's moving into the guest room until I'm taken off bed rest or the babies come."

"Did the doctor say when that might happen?" Dave asked, pacing the room.

She shrugged. "Maybe not until the babies are born. He said he might have to induce if it doesn't start to improve."

Sebastian rubbed her stomach. "We'll see that you are safe."

"And them." She put her hand on top of his. "It'll be okay."

"It will be. Won't it, Davey?"

Dave nodded, but continued to move around the room.

"It's fine, babe." He looked to the woman reclining on the bed. "The babies are fine otherwise, right?"

She smiled and nodded. "Perfectly fine. I'm the one with health problems right now. Yes, it could affect them, but as long as I follow the doctor's orders, they will continue to be fine until they are ready to come into this world."

"Emily?" John called as he stepped into the room. "Do you need anything?"

"I'd like a cup of tea. Is Tabby home yet?"

"Not yet. You want me to call?"

"No, they'll bring her home when the party's over. Thank you."

"No problem." He leaned over her and kissed her, patting her stomach a moment. "I'll get that tea. Call if you need anything." He looked between the men. "Do you like something to drink?"

"I'm fine." Dave said.

"I could use some water, if you don't mind." Sebastian said.

"Coming right up." He left the room.

"So hot." Sebastian said.

"I know." Emily sighed.

John returned and sat down on the other side of the bed to talk with them.

Dave relaxed after a while. He took a seat on the end of the bed and patted Emily's foot when their eyes locked.

"So have you decided on names?" John asked. "Emily won't spill."

"Jimi and Katherine." Sebastian said proudly.

"For Hendrix and my mother." Dave explained further.

"Cool." John said, nodding appreciatively.

"I'm home!" Tabitha called.

"We're all in the bedroom." Emily called back.

The girl appeared at the door and smiled. "You're _all_ here." She exclaimed and then climbed onto the bed between her mother and John. "Hello, babies." She patted her mother's stomach and spoke to it, telling the babies (and subsequently everyone else) about the party she had attended that day.

John laughed at all the appropriate moments and indulged the girl when she spoke directly to him. Sebastian could tell by the look on Emily's face that she was falling more and more in love with the man as the moments passed.

He stood. "I think it's about time we got out of your hair. You'll call if anything changes?"

"We will." John assured him.

Dave took his hand as they walked out of the house.

"Are you okay?" Sebastian asked as they headed down the road.

"Just worried. Didn't your mom have preeclampsia with you?"

"Yeah. That's what caused her death." He reached over and patted Dave's knee. "But she was a horrible workaholic and couldn't stay in bed, no matter how important I was. My dad swore she felt fine before she…" He kissed Dave's hand. "Emily will be fine. She has John and Tabitha both at her beck and call."

"Don't tell me you're not worried even a little."

He looked over at Dave for a moment. "I'm terrified."

"We'll get through this." Dave assured him.

"We will."

* * *

The phone rang as Dave was putting supper on the table. Sebastian answered.

"Are you serious?" He said, a grin spreading across his face. "We'll be there in ten minutes." He hung up. "John is bringing Emily to the hospital."

"The hospital? Our babies?"

He nodded. "Let's get going."

The ride was filled with silent excitement. Dave drove. Sebastian said in the passenger seat fidgeting.

"Can you drive any faster?" he asked anxiously.

"Not if you want to see our babies."  
They arrived and found the maternity ward. They were met by John and Tabitha.

"Hey, there you are." He walked over. "They're saying it will still be a little while. They're doing another examination."

"Did you, um…?" Sebastian asked, gesturing toward the room.

"No, these aren't my babies. And we'll have a couple of our own in a few years. Anyway, you've been going to Lamaze classes with her. When it's time, you will be the ones going back."

"Thank you." Dave said softly.

A nurse came into the waiting room. "It's gonna be just a little bit longer." She said. "You may all go into her room for a while."

"Thank you." They all chorused and followed her down the hall.

The doctor was still talking with her when they walked in. "And here is everyone else." He said with a chuckle.

They shook his hand.

"I was just telling Emily that it might help move the situation along if she takes a walk. Nothing too crazy, just up and down the hall." He bid them farewell and went to check on another of his patients.

They stood awkwardly for a moment before Sebastian moved forward and sat down on the edge of the bed.

"Hello, there. How are you?" He said softly.

"I've been better." She smiled. "Please don't be hurt if I curse you all through this. I'm only doing it from the bottom of my heart." She chuckled.

He laughed along with her. "Are you sure about this?"

"Well, I had better be." She laughed. "No backing out now." Her face screwed up in pain.

"Is that another contraction?" John asked, standing at the foot of the bed.

"Yes." She panted. She came out of it and took several deep breaths.

"When was your last one?" Dave asked.

"About ten minutes ago."

"They've gotten closer since we got here." John said.

"Yes." She smiled. "We'll be welcoming these babies eventually. Who wants to take a walk with me?"

"Me." Tabitha said enthusiastically.

Sebastian helped her to her feet. Tabitha took her hand and the men gathered around her, ready to catch her should she stumble.


	14. Chapter 14

_Author's note: Here, my little chickadees, is the update I really hadn't planned on doing, but called to me to work on. Feel free to give any feedback you see fit._

_Happy reading!  
_

Chapter Fourteen

"Did you get the pictures, Dad?" Dave asked excitedly on the phone.

"I did, son. They're beautiful. How much do they weigh?"

"Jimi is five pounds, ten and a half ounces and Katherine is five pounds, four ounces. She's a little underweight, but the doctors say everything else seems fine." He stared at them through the window in the nursery.

Sebastian wrapped his arms around his husband's waist from behind and rested his head on the man's shoulder. "Tell him I say hello."

Dave relayed the message.

"I think I'll be there next week, is that okay?" Paul said.

"Yeah, that will be great. We still have a few more things to do to the nursery if you want to help out with that."

"I'd love to, son. Give those babies an extra kiss for me and tell them that Granddad will be there in a few days."

"We'll see you soon, Dad."

He hung up and rested his hands on top of Sebastian's. "Aren't they so perfect?"

"Yeah. Perfect." He sighed. "I know we agreed that we didn't want to find out about paternity, but I think we should. With the history of heart conditions in my family…"

"I understand. We'll do that, babe."

"We won't tell them until they're older. I don't want them to think it matters because it really doesn't in the long run."

"No, it doesn't. They're both ours no matter what." Dave turned his head and kissed Sebastian's cheek. "How is Emily?"

"Sleeping. It took a lot of convincing for Tabitha to want to leave. John promised he'd bring her back first thing."

Katherine started crying. Jimi quickly joined in from his bed beside her. The nurse waved the men in.

"Would you like to learn how to change a diaper?" She asked with a grin.

They nodded and watched as the woman lifted Katherine out of her bed and brought her to a changing table. She demonstrated how the diaper was changed and then wrapped her again in her blanket.

"Now, who wants to feed her and who wants to change the other one?"

"I'll feed Katherine." Sebastian volunteered.

She walked him through making a bottle as Dave nervously changed Jimi's diaper and wrapped him back in his blanket. The nurse handed him the bottle she'd made to show Sebastian.

Dave walked around the small room as Sebastian took a seat in a rocking chair. "Your granddad is so excited to meet you." He told the baby. "You and your sister. You're going to look out for her, aren't you? You _are_ older. By almost twenty minutes."

"That will be a great story to tell their friends. That they're twins, but that they have different birthdays." Sebastian pointed out. He smiled down at the baby girl in his arms. "I can't get over how much she looks like you. She has to be yours."

"You think so?" Dave walked over and looked down at Katherine. "I think she's got a lot of you in her face. So does he."

"That's what got me worried. I see myself in Jimi. I'll always see you in Katherine, even if we find out differently."

"I don't want to know."

"Okay."

"Don't just say that."

"Why?"

"Because I want you to demand that I know too. You can't keep that secret to yourself."

"Then we'll wait until they're older. No need to worry about it now. Neither of us have history of childhood illness for us or our families. They'll be fine. And if they do contract anything, it will be caught in their check-ups." He kissed Katherine's face. "I still can't get over how much I love them."

"I know what you mean." Dave said softly, running a finger down Jimi's tiny cheek.

They put the babies back in their beds and just stood over them for a while.

* * *

Emily stood against the car as Sebastian struggled to strap in Jimi's car seat.

"How the hell am I supposed to get this damn thing in here?" He stood back and let out a frustrated breath.

Emily laughed

"Watch your language around the babies." Dave scolded playfully, successfully getting Katherine's seat secured.

"Come show me how you did that, babe." He requested.

"It's not hard." He said as he walked around to the other side of the car.

"Well, you can put them in all the time if it's not so hard." He draped an arm over Emily's shoulders. "How are you feeling?"

"Fine. I should probably sit down."

"Here, get in the front seat." He opened the door and helped her sit down. "Isn't John on his way?"

"He just sent a text to say he was stuck in traffic."

"Sorry to hear that." He kneeled down in front of her. "We'll wait here with you, of course."

"Good.

"But if you need a ride, we can give you one."

"Thank you." Her phone went off as Dave came around to stand beside Sebastian. She answered. "Hello, John…Oh, no…Well, that sucks. Okay." She sighed. "Sebastian said they can give me a ride. Just get a tow and we'll figure it out from there…I love you too." She hung up. "Some idiot just rear-ended him. His airbag deployed, but there doesn't seem to be any other damage from what he can see."

"Well," Sebastian said. He lifted her legs into the car. "We'll give you a ride home so we can relieve your babysitter. Then we can go get John if he needs it."

"Thank you." She said as she buckled her seatbelt.

"Rock, Paper, Scissors for the back seat?" Sebastian asked.

Dave chuckled. "You take the back this time." He pressed a quick kiss to his husband's lips.

"Did he say what happened?" Sebastian said as they made their way down the road.

"He was stopped at the light and it turned green. The guy behind him shot forward before John had a chance to move."

"Oh, I'm so sorry." Dave said from the driver's seat.

"He was driving my car." She said glumly. "His has been acting up and he put it in the shop."

"We can help you out if you need it." He said softly.

"No, your obligation to me is done. I'm back to work in a few weeks."

"Nonsense." Sebastian said, leaning forward. "If you need help, we'll give it. You're not just our surrogate, you've become our friend. At least I hope so."

"You're my friends, too." She sighed. "I just don't want a hand-out."

"It's not a hand-out. You can think of it as a loan. A loan you can pay back when you have the money again."

"We'll just have to see how much the damage is. Thank you." She looked out the window and Sebastian heard her sniff.

He reached forward and squeezed her shoulder. "You know, my firm is looking for a new administrative assistant. If you want, I could put a word in."

"I could use a change of pace." She wiped her eyes.

"I'll get you an application." He squeezed her shoulder again and then sat back.

One of the babies started fussing.

"Katherine?" Dave asked, looking in the rearview window.

"Yes. Uncanny how you know that already." He said, leaning over her and shushing her. "Daddy's right here, Katherine."

"You're the musical one. Can't you tell her cries are a bit higher?"

"I guess you're right." He said as Jimi started crying on his other side. "Oh dear, what can the matter be?" He sang as he put a hand on each of them and patted them. "We'll be home in a while. We'll stop off at Aunt Emily's first."

"Aunt Emily?" She asked, looking behind him.

"Do you mind?" Dave asked.

"No, not at all." She smiled. "Thank you."

They rode on in silence with the exception of Sebastian singing to the twins in the back seat.

Tabitha ran out when she saw Dave's car pull up. She ripped open the back door and peeked down at the baby there. "This one's Jimi, right?" She asked, reaching in and touching his small hand.

"Right." Sebastian said, reaching in to unstrap him from the seat, "I'm not fussing with the seatbelt around this contraption again."

"Can I carry him in?" She asked anxiously.

"Better let Dave do it, Tabby." Her mother said as she got out of the car. "But I'm sure they will consider letting you hold them if you aren't moving around."

"Yes, I believe we can arrange that." Dave took the baby from the car seat and held him to his chest as Sebastian climbed out and dealt with Katherine.

"I thought John was bringing you home." Tabitha asked her mother as she latched onto her hand.

"He got into a bit of a fender-bender, honey."

"Is he okay?"

"He is. But my car isn't." She sighed. She leaned over and kissed the top of her daughter's head. "Don't worry, it's okay."

"If you take a seat there on the couch, you can hold the babies." Sebastian said. "Katherine's a little fussy. And I think Jimi is a sympathetic crier." He smiled and passed the baby into the girl's arms. "Support her head." He sat down beside her. "There you go."

"She's beautiful." Tabitha sighed as she looked down at her. "Oh, her eyes are open."

"Are they?" Sebastian leaned over.

"They're like yours."

"They are." He brushed a finger down the baby's cheek.

After a few more minutes of staring in wonder at her, Tabitha looked up and asked, "Can I hold Jimi now?"

Emily's phone rang as they exchanged babies. She went off to the other room.

Sebastian walked around the room holding Katherine close to his chest, rubbing her tiny back as she fussed. Dave's eyes followed him hungrily. Sebastian caught his stare and winked.

Emily stepped back into the room and beckoned to Sebastian who followed her into the kitchen.

"Is everything okay?"

"My car is totaled." She sighed.

"What can we do to help?"

"I don't know." She wrapped her arms around him and pressed her face to his shoulder.

"Hey, it's okay. It's fine. I'll tell you what, I'll talk to Dave. I need a more functional car. I definitely can't get car seats into the back of mine."

"Thank you for that offer, but I need to see what my insurance and the other driver's will give us. Since John isn't on my insurance, I don't know if that has any adverse effects on what they can do for me."

"Well, if you need help, I _am_ a lawyer."

She chuckled and stepped away from him. "I'll keep that in mind."

"If you need to borrow a car, we have an extra for a little while. I can drive Dave to work when he starts back. His company doesn't offer paternity leave, but he has another week of vacation."

"And John can drive me around if I need."

"Speaking of?"

"He called for a tow from the same mechanic where his car was. It just happened to be fixed. He's driving it back."

"Okay. Good." They walked back into the living room. "If you're okay then, we should get these little ones home."

"Yeah, you should." She kissed Katherine's tiny face. "We'll see you later, Katherine." She walked over to where Dave stood with Jimi and kissed his cheek. "Bye, Jimi."

Dave kissed her cheek. "Everything okay?"

"My car's totaled. But John's is fixed. So…" She shrugged. "Now I just have to figure out the insurance."

He wrapped an arm around her and kissed her cheek again. "Let us know if you need anything."

"I will."

They each strapped a baby in and headed home. Sebastian leaned over the seat and held Dave's hand.

"I am so not ready for this first night." Dave commented.

"I'm not really either." Sebastian chuckled.

"At least we have some time to get used to it before going back to work."

"When is your dad's flight coming in again?"

"Saturday. And then he leaves next Saturday."

"Okay, awesome. Two people there to constantly to help and then all alone."

"I can figure out some stuff that can be done from home to help you out, especially at first."

"Yeah."

Dave's phone rang, disturbing the babies sleeping and triggering their cries. "It's Mel." He said as he brought the phone to his ear and Sebastian climbed into the back seat to sooth the twins in song.

"We're heading home right now… They were asleep and not expecting the phone… Come on over. I don't know why you waited… Well, they're ready to meet their Aunt Mel…Okay…We'll see you soon." He hung up. "How's it going, Daddy?"

"I think they're hungry, Dad." He leaned over Jimi. "And this one needs a new diaper."

"We're almost home."


	15. Chapter 15

_Author's note: I'm sorry, this chapter was started two days ago and then a lot of stuff went down with a small miscommunication concerning me reblogging something on Tumblr with a completely unrelated casual comment and it all blew up in my face. So I wasn't able to finish this until yesterday and then I didn't get it edited until this evening because of work and stuff._

_In short, I hope this is a good chapter in your opinion because it was laborious for me to write it.  
_

_Happy reading!  
_

Chapter Fifteen

"I think Katherine is going to be a bit of a diva." Sebastian said as he took the crying baby out of the car.

"Yes, well, look who her daddy is." Dave teased. He took Jimi out of the other side. "This one will take after me."

"Like hell."

They were met by Mel on the front steps. "Oh, let me see." She gushed, looking over the car seats one at a time as the doting fathers stopped in front of her. "Oh, they're so precious! I should have come to the hospital. I just didn't want to get in the way."

"You wouldn't have been in the way." Dave assured her. "Come on, let's get inside."

"I called your dad." She said as she followed them into the house.

"You called my dad?" Dave picked up Jimi and handed him over. "This is Jimi, by the way."

"Hi, there, Jimi. I'm Mel."

"Aunt Mel, if you don't mind. Since neither Sebastian or I have brothers or sisters."

"I don't mind." She said fondly. She kissed the boy's face. "I called your dad to see when he was coming in so we could plan a shower." She cradled Jimi close.

"You don't need to do that." Sebastian said, bouncing Katherine as he began to feed her.

"Of course we do. It was Emily's idea. She said the two of you have been working your asses off so that you could be prepared to take off. I've seen the nursery and I know you still have some things you need. We want to throw this party. So let us."

"Oh, all right." Dave handed over the bottle he'd prepared. "Would you like to do the honors?"

She smiled and took the bottle from him. "Gladly."

* * *

"So we're all going to meet your dad or just you?" Sebastian asked, buttoning Katherine into a new onesie.

"I thought we all were." Dave bounced Jimi as he fussed. "Sh, Dad has you, Jimi."

"I'm going to be alone with them all day every day for three weeks. You should be able to spend time with them, even if they are just sleeping in the back seat."

"Are you ready to be alone with them, babe?"

"Well, I have a week with you to figure it out. And if it gets too overwhelming, Em said she's come over and help out."

"Good to know. By the way," Dave stepped toward his husband and pressed a hard kiss to his mouth, "I love you."

Sebastian smiled and gave him another kiss. "I love you. And I love our babies." He kissed Katherine and then leaned forward and kissed Jimi.

Dave smiled and cupped his cheek, stroking it with his thumb.

Sebastian turned his head and kissed Dave's palm. "Breakfast?"

"Yes. Babies in the playpen. We're going to spoil them. And you can't go around carrying them all the time any more than the teachers at the daycare." He patted Sebastian's chest and then walked out of the room. "Are you going to let your daddies eat breakfast? Huh?"

"Maybe they can be content to just be together for a while." Sebastian kissed Katherine's face and put her down.

Dave placed Jimi beside his sister. They looked down at the twins. Katherine started fussing as soon as she was out of her daddy's arms. Jimi cried openly. It upset his sister to hear him so upset and she joined in.

"The books say sometimes they need to cry." Sebastian said uncertainly.

"So did Emily." Dave kissed his cheek. "They're fed and clean. They're safe. Let's eat something so we can get my dad from the airport."

Sebastian reluctantly walked away, dragging the other man along.

* * *

"David!" Paul called. "Hey, Davey!"

Dave squinted through the crowded airport and spotted his father. He raised his free hand. "Dad!"

Paul pushed through the crowd. He pulled his son into a tight embrace. "There you are. And where is your husband?"

"Changing Jimi." He indicated the baby in his arms. "This is Katherine."

"Katherine." Paul breathed out. He touched her face.

"You can hold her."

He put his bag down and took the infant from his son's arms. "Hello, Katherine. I'm Granddad. Your Dad's Dad."

"That's a lot of Dad's." Dave commented.

"Hey, Paul." Sebastian said, walking up with another bundle in his arms. He passed over the diaper bag when Dave reached for it. "Jimi, meet Granddad."

They traded babies. Sebastian took the diaper bag back as Dave picked up his father's bag from the floor and then they headed toward the door.

"You're so cute." Paul said as they walked toward the car. "You and your sister are the sweetest babies I've ever seen."

"It's true." Dave said, placing a hand on Sebastian's shoulder for a moment. "If you want to squeeze in the back with them, you can. But you don't have to. We're planning on getting a van or something."

"Ew, a mom car." Paul made a face at the baby in his arms.

"_I_ want an SUV." Sebastian pointed out, fishing his keys from his pocket and popping the trunk. He walked around the side to put Katherine in her seat as Paul loaded Jimi in.

"And I bet my son is worried about the safety."

"Right on the nose, Granddad."

"They're top-heavy." Dave argued over his father's shoulder.

"The construction has improved over the years. They're safer. And look cooler than a minivan." He squeezed into the back seat between the babies. "Do I get to see Mel today or do I have to wait?"

Dave laughed. "She's coming to dinner."

"Great! We have some things to talk about."

"The baby shower?"

"Yes."

"I'm excited!" Sebastian said, rubbing his hands together.

"I hope so." Paul spoke with his grandbabies for the rest for the trip.

* * *

"This looks nice." Paul said as they all stepped into the nursery.

"You think so?" Dave asked uncertainly.

"Yeah. I like the yellow, nice and cheery." He walked over to read a plaque hanging above one of the cribs. "'When the power of love overcomes the love of power the world will know peace.'" He nodded. "That's a good one." He kissed the face of the baby in his arms. "What do you say, Katherine?" He walked to the opposite end of the room and examined the quote above that bed. "'Music is a safe kind of high.'" He turned to his son. "Just Jimi Hendrix quotes?"

"We've got a couple more that aren't Hendrix, we just don't have them up yet. And those are my favorites out of all the ones Seb found."

"They're good. Which is hers?"

"We put them in the same crib most of the time." Dave said, lowering his son into one of the cribs. "They get upset when they aren't close to each other. I feel like it's going to change before long, so we put them close while we can." He lifted Katherine from his father's arms and put her close to her brother. "There you go." He patted both their stomachs. "We love you, babies."

Katherine fussed a little, but settled when Paul put a hand on her and shushed her.

"How did you do that?"

"Grandparent magic." Paul chuckled and clapped his son on the shoulder. "What do you guys need?"

"We've been trying to get everything, but I feel overwhelmed."

"It happens." His father chuckled and they walked out of the room together. "I'm going to take inventory of all your things so we know what the others should buy. I want to tell everyone to bring diapers of varying sizes. They always bring the newborn diapers, but they grow out of them so fast. And clothes. You grew out of most of the clothes we were given for you before you even got to wear most of them. Thankfully, my mother gave us clothes of all sizes up to a year."

"I guess that's good." He chuckled.

"And I have something for you. Hold on." He went into the guest room where Sebastian had stashed his bag. He came into the living room and handed each of them a box. "Go ahead and open them."

They both ripped at the tape and found a tiny onesie inside each. The one Sebastian opened said, "My Granddad is single and just as adorable as me." the other read, "If you think I'm cute, you should see my Granddad."

"These are great, Dad." Dave said with a laugh. "They are going to wear these all the time until they can't wear them anymore."

"I sure hope so. Maybe I can get a date out of it."

They laughed.

"Would you like some coffee or something, Dad?"

"I think I need to lay down for a while, if that's okay."

"That's fine." Dave assured him.

He left the room.

Sebastian moved to sit beside Dave and pressed a kiss to his cheek. "If you're half as adorable as your dad in twenty years, I think I'll love you even more."

"Good to know." Dave leaned his head on his husband's shoulder. "We can nap, too."

"I'm not tired." Sebastian nuzzled his neck.

"Stop, babe. My dad is here. And I woke up with the twins before you did."

"Okay. You go lay down." He kissed Dave's cheek. "I'm going to start cooking and keep an eye on our babies."

"I love hearing that; 'our babies.'" He pressed a kiss to Sebastian's lips. He stretched out on the couch and pulled Sebastian on top of him. "You should lay here with me."

"I will. But just for a little while." He put his head on Dave's chest and was soon asleep.

* * *

They got more toys that they needed and more clothes than they would ever be able to wear. Thankfully, Paul must have gotten to them and requested that a few bring larger clothes than "newborn." And they had plenty of diapers to last a while.

Tabitha sat on Dave's lap as the party started to dwindle down. "Can I come stay the night sometime?" She asked softly.

Dave smiled. "I think that Jimi and Katherine would love that."

"And you?"

He nodded and pulled her into a tight hug. "Of course I would. But I'll have to talk to Sebastian and your mom."

"Good." She looked to where her mother and John stood close together, hands joined, as they talked with Paul and Mel. "I heard my mom say that she just wants to go to the courthouse."

"To marry John?"

She nodded. "She said she was already married once and had the big wedding."

Dave smoothed a hand down the girl's back. "My mom died when I was little."

"She did?"

"Yeah. Got sick and never got better. It was just me and my dad after that."

"I like John. I don't care if they have a big wedding or not. I'm just ready for a dad that I remember."

Dave kissed her forehead. "You've got a good one in him, Tabby. I can see it."

Tabitha leaned into Dave's chest and sighed. "Me too."

"Tab?" John called, walking over.

She looked up.

"Ready to go, sweetie? You've got that slumber party to get to."

"Yeah, I guess. I need to say goodbye to Jimi and Katherine." She scrambled off Dave's lap and ran across the room to the new swings the babies were modeling.

Dave stood and held out his hand. "Thank you for coming, John."

"I wouldn't have missed it for the world." He said with a kind smile, shaking Dave's hand.

"A little birdie just told me you were thinking of having a courthouse wedding."

"Did she?" He asked with a fond smile on his face. "Emily and I have discussed it at length. I was married once myself. Divorced. No kids. We've both experienced the big church wedding. We don't need a show, we just want to be married. We want to throw a party afterward. You and Sebastian and the twins would be greatly welcome at the wedding, though. Tabitha adores you and those babies. And Emily…" The grin stretching across his face was so genuinely happy. "Well, she hasn't had friends like you in a long time from what she told me. You don't judge her the way anyone else does."

"I don't believe anyone deserves to be judged for who they are."

"She's not perfect and that's perfectly fine for me."

Emily came over and slipped her hand into John's. "We're going to have to peel her away."

"Want me to try again?" John asked.

She shook her head. "Tabitha." She said loud enough to get her attention. She motioned for her to come along.

She kissed the babies once more and then walked across the room. "Mom, can I stay with Dave and Sebastian sometime?"

"Honey, this is not the time or the place to ask that. Dave and Sebastian have a lot on their plate with two new babies as well as Dave's dad as a guest."

"But Paul likes me." She pointed out.

"He may like you but that doesn't mean he wants you around for more than a few hours."

"Mom, Dave said—"

"I know what Dave might have said. And I think it's exactly what I would say. We will need to talk about it as a group. But right now is not the time."

She folded her arms over her chest and stuck her lower lip out in a pout.

"Your mom is right." Dave said softly. "We'll talk about this soon. Your mom and John might need a date night and we could use some help with the twins. But not right now, especially if your mom doesn't want you to."

The girls said nothing.

"Okay, Miss Drama Queen, if you want to go to that party, you'll dry it up." John said.

She sighed and dropped her arms.

"That's what I thought." He said, ruffling her hair. "Load up."

After another round of goodbyes, they left along with a few others. Mel and Paul started cleaning up. When Sebastian and Dave tried to help, they were told to sit down and relax.

The pair sat together on the couch and watched their babies sleeping soundly in the swings. Simultaneously, their eyes locked. They shared a kiss. Dave pulled Sebastian to his chest as he leaned into the corner of the couch.


	16. Chapter 16

_Author's note: The character of Ms. Bernie that you meet here is sort of inspired by Queen Latifah. I just adore her! I hope you like the character and the rest of this chapter._

_Happy reading!  
_

Chapter Sixteen

"Sh, please, Katherine, go to sleep. I have to work in the morning." Dave begged as he walked the floor with her.

"Baby?" Sebastian said groggily from the doorway to their bedroom. "Just let her cry."

"I'm not going to just let her cry."

"Then, here, give her to me. You have work and I just have these two." He took the baby from his husband's arms. "It's okay, Katherine." He rubbed the baby's back. "It's okay."

Dave watched helplessly.

"I have her, baby." He brushed his lips across Dave's. "Go back to bed."

He nodded and turned away reluctantly.

"Come on, Katherine. I know you're not hungry. You were just fed. You have a fresh diaper. Your brother is sleeping. Your daddies love you. You're safe."

She continued to cry.

"Is it because Granddad's gone? Hm? You miss your Granddad? I know your Dad does."

Her cries went on.

"Okay, how about this?" He started singing softly,

_I was a quick-wit boy  
Diving too deep for coins  
All of your street light eyes  
Wide on my plastic toys  
Then when the cops closed the fair  
I cut my long baby hair  
Stole me a dog-eared map  
And called for you everywhere_

She stopped crying as he drew to the end of the first verse. And only a few lines later, she was asleep in his arms. He continued to sing and hold her for the rest of the song. Then he put her down in her crib and looked down at her, humming the last few notes.

"Sleep well, baby girl." He went back to the room he and Dave shared.

"Maybe I should have thought of that." Dave said softly.

Sebastian curled into his side. "It's okay, baby. You're tired yourself. Go to sleep. You've got a full day tomorrow, I'm sure."

Dave sighed and nodded. "Roll over."

Sebastian pressed a kiss to his jaw and then rolled away, pressing his back into his husband's chest and pulling his arms up to his chin.

Dave mumbled, "You have a better voice than me, anyway. I'd probably just make the crying worse."

"That's not true. You have a lovely voice."

"Whatever you say, babe." He said around a yawn.

"For the love of God, just sleep already."

Dave chuckled and kissed the back of Sebastian's head. "Sleep yourself, baby."

* * *

Sebastian rocked Jimi in his arms and fed him as he bounced Katherine in the small bouncy seat on the floor. Both were pretty content for the moment.

His phone rang. He pulled the bottle away from Jimi's mouth and sat it down as he fumbled in his pocket. The baby in his arms started crying, making his sister start to cry. He answered the phone and pressed it between his ear and his shoulder as he shoved the bottle back into his son's mouth.

"Hi, baby." He sighed.

"Is everything okay, babe?"

"Well, it was. Then I took Jimi's bottle away to answer your call and he got mad. Making Katherine mad."

"They'll always take up for each other."

"Well, I hope so. How's work?"

"Tough. I just want to be home with you guys."

"I know. Did you ask about those openings at the daycare in your building?" He burped the baby.

"Yes, but they have a lot of interest. You should come have a talk with them."

"Do you like them?"

"They seem nice. The kids all look good."

"Then I'll get these two presentable and go have a look. Talk to the director."

"Come have lunch with me?"

"Sure. That little diner down the block? The one with those great club sandwiches?"

"Of course. See you in little while."

"Love you, baby." He hung up and looked at the babies. "Let's go see Dad."

He looked down at himself. "After we all change." Sebastian kissed Jimi's tiny face and then strapped him into the other bouncy seat.

He changed and then got the twins ready. He put them in onesies that Mel had given them. Jimi's said, "Just doing the baby thing until my band gets signed." Katherine's said, "I just got here and I'm already awesome."

"Okay, you two, let's load up in your car seats and get going." He chattered to them as he buckled them in. Katherine looked at him like he was crazy. Jimi slept through it all.

He turned on Christina Perri and hummed along. Katherine made a soft sound in the back seat.

"Do you like this, Katherine?" he asked. "Huh?"

Neither baby made any more noise the rest of the trip. It didn't stop Sebastian from talking to them and singing on occasion. He parked in the garage next to the office building and unloaded the babies into a stroller.

"Okay, you two, look cute. Make a good impression. If you get into this daycare, your dad can pick you up and drop you off and only have to factor in the time it takes to ride the elevator into his commute every day."

Jimi opened his eyes and gave Sebastian with a look of slight annoyance. He closed his eyes again and went back to sleep. Katherine made a face in her sleep, scrunching up her nose, and then relaxed once more.

"Nice to have a captive audience. Thanks, guys, I'll be here for the next eighteen years." He pushed them into the elevator and rode up to the ground floor.

The daycare center took up the back corner of that floor. There was an office as well as three separate rooms for babies, toddlers, and preschoolers. The door to the office was open and a woman with skin the color of warm hot chocolate stared at a computer screen. She had a pleasant look about her when she turned her face at his knock.

"Hello? Can I help you?" She asked kindly.

"Are you the one I talk to about the daycare?" Sebastian asked nervously.

"I sure am. Come on in." She stood up and walked around the desk, holding out her hand. "I'm Bernice Martin, Ms. Bernie. And you are?"

He shook her hand. "Sebastian Karofsky-Smythe. My husband said he spoke to someone here about openings?"

"Is your husband David?"

"Yes, ma'am, that would be him."

"Ooh, you're lucky. That's one handsome man. And who are these precious babies."

"Jimi and Katherine."

"So precious. Hello, Jimi and Katherine." She straightened up. "Come on and have a seat and we can go over some paperwork." She sat down. "You were planning on them being here five days a week?"

"Yes, ma'am. Dave comes to work at nine and usually gets off at five."

"Well, we open at seven-thirty and close at six. We understand that some of the offices have early meetings and we try to accommodate those. But it can't be all the time."

"I assure you, if my husband has an early meeting, I'd be the one to being them at nine. They're already a handful at two weeks. I can only imagine what it would be like when they're mobile. And late evenings, we'll have someone else come get them."

"Well, that's good to know. We have people that take advantage of the policies all the time." She turned her chair and opened the filing cabinet, taking out a few stacks of papers. She turned and explained about their policies as she went over the papers with him.

One of the babies started fussing. "Sh, Katherine." He said barely looking and gently pushing the stroller back and forth.

"I'm always fascinated by parents of multiples being able to tell the difference in the cries."

"Hers is a little higher than Jimi's." He said with a shrug.

"Interesting." She went back to the paperwork and finished up the explanation. She handed the papers to him. "These need to be completed before the children can be enrolled in our facility."

"All right. I can do that."

"Would you like a look around? Meet the teachers? I'm already assuming you're going to enroll them without showing you around." She laughed and stood and led him out of the room.

They stepped into the baby room. There were multiples of some toys and furniture similar to some at their home scattered about. Two women sat together and monitored as some of the babies crawled from one toy to the next. One little girl stood holding onto a bar and bounced on her legs, happily chattering to herself. Another couple toddled around the room on unsteady legs. One of them started moving a little too fast and tripped over his own feet. He immediately started crying.

One of the caregivers picked him up and said, "Let's just try it again, Jakey."

He immediately stopped crying and stumbled off again.

Ms. Bernie led him over to the women. "Allie and Megan, these are Sebastian, Jimi, and Katherine. Sebastian is considering enrolling the twins here."

After greeting Sebastian, both women bent over the babies and cooed to them.

"Aren't you both so sweet?" Megan said. "How old are they?"

"Eleven days." Sebastian provided.

"Brand new to this world." She crooned.

"Yes." Sebastian provided. "I've still got a few weeks of paternity leave, so it would still be a while until we bring them."

"Sounds good." Allie said with a smile. "I'd love to have them here." She tickled them each on the cheek.

"And I think they would like it."

Ms. Bernie led them out into the hall. "You need to provide your formula and a bottle for each of them. I don't remember if I told you that. There's a kitchen we use that provides breakfast and lunch once they are on solid foods. We provide snacks as well."

She introduced him and the twins to the other teachers. She led him back to the office. "Do you have any questions?"

"Do we need to pay for their spots until they're enrolled?"

"Not necessary, just in case you change your minds. Anything else?"

"I think you covered it all in the policy packet. Dave and I will look over the paperwork and figure out if anything needs clarification." He assured her.

"Well, we look forward to seeing your little ones every day."

"And we look forward to bringing them." He shook her hand.

She leaned over the twins. "Good-bye, Jimi and Katherine."

"Say good-bye to Ms. Bernie."

Sebastian rolled the twins into the elevator and up to Dave's office. They were stopped by several of the other workers in the path to coo over the twins and say how much more adorable they were in person.

Dave's office door was open. Sebastian poked his head in. "Hey, Dad. You busy?"

He looked up. "Never too busy for my family." He clicked on a few things on his computer and then closed it up. "Are you hungry?"

"Starved." He gave Dave a quick kiss and then stepped back so Dave could greet the twins.

"Hello, my babies. You ready to go to lunch with your daddies?" He kissed each of them and then stood. "Let's go, babe."

Dave took over the stroller, pushing it into the elevator. The men held hands as the car went down. "I've missed you today. All three of you."

"We have too, baby. We have a whole hour for lunch, though, right?"

"Right."

"We'll just relax, then." He leaned into Dave and kissed his cheek. "And then it will be just a few more hours until you're home."

"Yeah." He sighed. "So what do you think about the daycare? I like that Ms. Bernie."

"Me too. And the women in the baby room, Allie and Megan, seem nice. I think Megan was flirting with me. Wonder what she's going to do once she finds out I'm gay."

Dave chuckled and stepped out of the elevator. "You'll break her heart. You're going to break a lot of them, Sebastian. And you've already broken so many."

"I'll try never to break yours, baby." He wrapped an arm around Dave's waist and walked pressed close to him.


	17. Chapter 17

_Author's note: Here, my lovelies, is the new chapter! There are a couple songs in here and I keep forgetting to mention them. The song from the previous chapter is Flightless Bird, American Mouth by Iron & Wine. The songs here are If It Wasn't For You by Various Cruelties and Can's Stand It by Never Shout Never._

_Happy reading!  
_

Chapter Seventeen

Jimi cried with increasing volume from Sebastian's arms. "Sh, I know, baby boy. I'm going to miss you too."

"You'll all be fine." Dave said, patting Katherine's back. "Won't you, Katie?"

Sebastian started humming quietly to his son. Then he started singing softly,

_"All that's lost was not in vain,  
Burning like a memory what's left inside of me.  
Sometimes you want to change,  
The chapters of our history, but we can't go back.  
If it wasn't for you, don't know what I'd do.  
I'd have nothing to prove, I've got nothing to lose  
I'd be all lost at sea, with no reason to make it through.  
If it wasn't for you."_

Jimi's cries dropped off slowly as he listened to his daddy singing softly in his ear. His breathing became steady and he fell asleep. He finished singing, eyes locked with Dave's in the adjacent rocking chair.

"Is he asleep?" Dave asked softly.

Sebastian nodded. "Her?"

"Yeah." Dave stood and placed their daughter in her crib.

Sebastian put Jimi down. He fussed a little, but his daddy rubbed his stomach and whispered, "It's okay, sweet boy. Your daddies are just in the next room. You're safe."

Dave kissed Sebastian's neck. "He's fine. Let's get to bed. I have some things I want to do to you before they wake up again."

Sebastian smiled. "Promises, promises." He followed Dave out of the room.

Dave laughed and pushed him down onto their bed. He leaned over Sebastian and pushed his shirt up, running his hands over his stomach and chest. "Don't worry about the babies tomorrow." He kissed his husband softly. "I'll be just upstairs." He pressed his mouth into Sebastian's neck, sucking just below his jaw. "So relax." He nipped at the other man's collar bone. Dave rolled his hips down, rubbing their erections together.

Sebastian groaned. "Just do whatever you're going to do, David."

Dave smiled and gave him a hard kiss as he pulled down his pants. He wrapped his hand around the base of his husband's shaft and slowly moved it up and then back down.

Sebastian groaned and jerked his hips up. Dave put a hand on him to hold him down. He lowered his head and ran his tongue up the length, taking the tip into his mouth and swirling his tongue around it.

A strangled cry left Sebastian's throat and he panted, "More, baby."

Dave chuckled and took more of the length into his mouth. He scraped his teeth over his husband's cock as he moved his head up and down. He hummed around him as he set a glorious rhythm that Sebastian fought to match. Dave continued to hold him down, looking up into his eyes.

"Just a little more." Sebastian panted.

Dave slowed his movements. He stroked the length with his tongue and continued to hum around him.

Sebastian tensed and groaned, "David." And then he came down the back of his husband's throat.

Dave swallowed him down and sat back.

"Can't believe you swallowed that." Sebastian said as he regained his breathing.

"I do it sometimes." He leaned down and kissed his hip. He kissed his way back up Sebastian's body. Their lips met. "I love you."

"Same here. Let me show you how much." He pushed Dave up to sit. He pulled the other man's shirt off and leaned forward to run his tongue over his nipple. He closed his mouth over it and sucked hard.

Dave sighed and cradled his head. "You know me so well. How to push my buttons."

"I love pushing your buttons, baby." Sebastian bit gently at his skin as his mouth made its way up to Dave's shoulder. He sucked hard as he started rubbing at the bulge in his pants.

Dave thrust himself into Sebastian's palm and moaned. He ran his nails lightly over his husband's back.

Dave chuckled and panted, "I hate to say, but I'm close."

"Let me at least get you in my mouth before that happens." Sebastian pushed him back and released him from his pants. He took Dave's length into his mouth without another word and moved over him.

After a few strokes, Dave clutched at Sebastian and whimpered. He exploded into Sebastian's mouth. Sebastian laid his head on Dave's stomach and smiled up at him.

Dave combed his fingers through Sebastian's hair. "Let's get some sleep. You have to go back to work tomorrow."

Sebastian groaned and moved to a proper position on the bed. "Confession time: I considered becoming a stay-at-home dad until the twins are in school."

"Why did you decide against it?" Dave asked as he settled in beside him.

"I think it would get old. I love spending time with the twins and I love getting stuff done around the house. But I also love my work. So I decided to make a bit of a change on that front."

"And?"

"I want to start to move away from criminal law and into family law."

"Can you remain in the same firm?"

"Yes. We deal with everything there. It's a giant building." He looked over. "I want to handle something more pleasant. They get to help settle custody disputes and adoption and…I don't know, I just want to."

"I like it. If you like it?"

Sebastian nodded.

"Then go for it, babe." He kissed Sebastian softly. "Goodnight."

"'Night."

* * *

"Okay, one more kiss for Daddy." Sebastian said, bending over the Jimi's car seat. "I love you, Jimi. I'm going to miss you." He leaned over Katherine's seat. "And I love you, Katherine. I'll miss you." He reluctantly climbed out of the car and closed the door.

"They'll be fine, babe." Dave assured him.

"I know." He placed his hands on Dave's hips. "You're going to check on them at lunch?"

"Yes."

"They have diapers and formula and wipes and—"

Dave cut him off with a kiss. "All of it. You checked the diaper bag five times just this morning." He cupped Sebastian's cheeks. "It's fine. They'll be fine."

He nodded and took a deep breath, letting it out slowly. He pressed a kiss to Dave's lips. "I love you."

"I love you, too. Go to work. You're going to be late." He stepped away and got into his car. He waved and drove off.

Sebastian sighed and went his own way.

Dave turned on the radio and started singing along. He stopped when Katherine started fussing in the back seat.

"I know, sweetie. I'm not nearly as good as Daddy." He sighed. "Are you going to miss Daddy? I miss him every day I have to leave him. But you know what? We get to see him every day when we get home. I used to not see him for weeks and weeks when we were in college. And then we broke up and it was years and years before I saw him again." He chuckled. "Not that you guys understand it yet. But you will. Daddy and I will tell you the story of how we met and fell in love and broke up and got back together again any time you want. It's a lovely fairy tale, I think."

He lapsed back into silence and turned the radio up. He hummed along off and on until they arrived at the building. He unloaded the babies into the stroller and piled all their things into the bottom. He rolled them inside and was met by Ms. Bernie.

"Welcome, Jimi and Katherine!" She said, leaning over them. "Welcome to your first day of daycare. I'm sure your daddies are nervous about this. But you don't need to worry." She straightened up and smiled. "Do you have the paperwork?"

"Yes." He took it out of the front of the diaper bag. "Here you are."

"Good. Fantastic." She thumbed through it, giving it a quick glance and then smiled. "Let's get your babies settled so you can get on to work." She walked toward the baby room and stepped inside. "Jimi and Katherine are here for their first day." She announced happily.

Megan and Allie walked over and greeted them.

"We have cribs all ready for them." Allie pointed.

"Oh, you put them next to each other." Dave observed.

"I'm half of a set of twins." Allie said. "My sister and I are inseparable. I know the lost feeling when we're apart. I know it's cheesy, but it's true. And they're in a new place, just a month old, so it's better on them, I'm sure."

Dave nodded.

"Come on, let's get them down with the others." Megan reached in.

"That's Katherine." Dave said as he took Jimi out of the other side and followed the woman to the area where the other babies were laying on the floor.

"We try to give them plenty of floor time."

"Good. We appreciate it. Katherine can be a little fussy. And if Katherine cries, Jimi cries. But it's not usually the other way around." He leaned down and kissed each of them one more time. "Dad loves you guys. I'll be back." He stood and walked back over to the stroller and handed off the diaper bag and two packages of diapers. "Would it be okay if I come back on my lunch break to check on them? I won't make a habit of it. But since this is the first day…"

"It'll be fine." Megan assured him.

"Okay." He folded up the stroller and gave one long look at the babies lying on the floor a few feet away. He reluctantly left the room.

* * *

Dave hung up the phone and turned to his computer. He opened up his email and saw he had a message from Ms. Bernie. The message said, "_Jimi and Katherine are doing wonderfully! They miss their daddies but are making lots of friends._" There was a picture attached of Allie holding the twins and smiling at the camera.

His intercom buzzed, "You're eleven is here."

"Thanks. Send her in." He said absently. He typed a reply and then forwarded the message to Sebastian. "I'll be right with you." He typed out, "_They look happy. We made a good choice, babe. Love you._" He clicked Send. He turned and smiled. "Hello, you must be Barbara Cartright." He stood and walked around with his hand held out. "David. Call me Dave."

"Hi, Dave. Call me Barb." She said as she shook his hand.

"Barb. Please have a seat."

She did and leaned forward. "Are those yours?" She asked, looking at the screen.

Dave smiled proudly. "Yes, they are. Jimi and Katherine." He picked up a picture on his desk. "Here they are with my husband on the day they were born."

"They're so tiny. My son was almost ten pounds when he was born."

"They were about that combined." He chuckled. "How old is your son?"

"Three. I'm finally starting to get back into shape and I've had a lot of interest in getting back into the game. My old agent has retired and I was given your name as a possible replacement."

"I've never represented a tennis player before, so I'm really excited to convince you to sign on with us." He said with a kind smile. "Let's discuss."

* * *

"Let me at those precious babies." Sebastian said, stepping into the house seconds after Dave.

Dave chuckled. "Well, you can change Jimi's diaper while I finish with Katherine's."

"Jimi!" He exclaimed. He picked up the boy. "Oh, now I know why your dad made me do this. Shew!" He took the baby to the changing table and cleaned him up.

Jimi watched him intently. He blinked sleepily.

"Is my Jimi sleepy?" He tickled the baby's stomach. He looked to his husband. "How was your day, baby?"

"I signed a tennis player today." He made faces at Katherine. "She thinks our babies are adorable. Because they are." He kissed Katherine's tiny face. "Aren't you, precious baby girl? You and your brother are the most beautiful babies that were ever born." He smiled at her as she cooed in his arms. "Are you going to smile for your dad, Katie? Hm? Smile for me."

"It's too soon for them to smile, baby. We've still got a few more months to go."

"She's trying, though. Aren't you, sweetie?" He kissed her again. He stood and kissed Sebastian. "I'll start supper. You got these two?"

"I do." He took them and started bouncing them around and singing,

"_Baby, I love you  
I never want to let you go  
The more I think about,  
The more I want to let you know:  
That everything you do,  
Is super fucking cute  
And I can't stand it  
I've been searching for  
A girl that's just like you  
Cause I know  
That your heart is true_"

"_You're_ super fucking cute." Dave said as he watched Sebastian dancing around with their babies.

"I do what I can. We all do, don't we?" He kissed both the babies. "I really like this. Even when they're screaming their heads off…I can't see it any other way. I'm glad we did this, baby." He leaned into Dave. "Are you?"

"I'm ecstatic that we did this." He kissed Sebastian and then each of the babies. "We make a great family."


	18. Chapter 18

_Author's note: This one took me a few days with the new episode of Glee and a crazy work schedule. I hope you enjoy it. We've got a lot of great stuff happening._

_Happy reading!  
_

Chapter Eighteen

The knock on the front door startled Sebastian from his nap on the couch. He stumbled to the front door and opened it to find Mel standing teary-eyed on the front porch.

"Is Dave around?" She asked.

"He went to get some groceries. Come in." He stepped aside.

She walked past him. "How are the twins?"

"Sleeping. For the moment." He gave her a forced smile. "Can I get you something?"

She shook her head and sat down. "I've been dumped. Again." She looked down at her hands. "What's wrong with me?"

"What's wrong with _you_?" Sebastian sat down beside her. "From what I understand it's something that's wrong with _them_. You're smart and funny. Not to mention you're a knock-out. If I were straight, I'd totally go for you."

"But you're not." She smiled through her tears. "Thank you. I was expecting Dave to say that. But Dave always says that."

"He's your best friend. He's supposed to say that. I, on the other hand, am an outside observer. And I swear to you, Mel, those guys didn't deserve you. I know you've heard it a thousand times, but I'll say it again for good measure, that the right guy will come along when he's supposed to."

She nodded and then wrapped her arms around him for a tight hug. "Thank you."

"No problem." He patted her back. "Stay for supper?"

"Okay."

"That took a lot of convincing." He chuckled and took his phone out of his pocket and typed out a quick text to Dave informing him of Mel's presence.

One of the babies started crying in the nursery.

"May I go?" Mel asked.

"Sure."

She got up, wiping at her face again and walked into the other room. She spoke softly to them.

Sebastian sat back on the couch and closed his eyes again. And then the other baby started crying and Mel asked for help.

"Coming, Miss Melly." He walked in and picked Katherine up from her crib. "Calm down, Katie. Daddy's got you." He spoke soothing words to her as he changed her diaper. He held her close to his chest. "They just ate not long ago." He kissed Katherine's fuzzy hair.

"Honey, I'm home." Dave called from the front door.

"In the nursery." Sebastian called back.

He walked in and wrapped Mel in a bear hug. He whispered, "I love ya, kid." in her ear and then let her go. He kissed Jimi's small face and then turned to his husband. "Hey, you." The men shared a kiss. "What would you like for supper?" He kissed Katherine's hair. "I'm personally thinking frozen pizza."

"I could go for that." Mel said.

"Yeah. And Gone With the Wind." Sebastian provided.

"I could go for that too." She bounced Jimi. "What do you say, Jim-bo?"

The baby cooed in her arms.

"That's my boy." Sebastian said triumphantly.

Dave groaned and rolled his eyes. "I'll start supper. You two nerds can get the movie started."

* * *

Mel slept in the guest room.

Dave rocked Jimi as Sebastian paced the room with Katherine.

"I wish that tooth would come in already." He said, massaging their daughter's gums.

"That medicine should kick in soon and she'll sleep. So will he." He put Jimi down in the crib.

"Good." He kissed her and then laid her beside her brother.

They walked into their room together. They were both asleep quickly.

Dave woke up a few hours later to the sound of crying. He sat up. It wasn't one of the twins. He got up and walked to the guest room. He watched her for a while and then kneeled down beside her. "Mel?"

She looked at him. Her eyes were full of pain. "Why me?"

"Move over." He slipped under the blanket as she moved and wrapped an arm around her.

Mel pressed her forehead into his.

"I didn't like that Steve guy." Dave said softly.

"I know. This guy's name was Carlton."

"Oh. Right. What happened to Steve?"

"The same thing that happened to Braden and Carlton."

"Am I really two guys off?"

"Um…Yes." She rolled onto her back and stared at the ceiling. "It's not fair, Dave."

"I know."

She rolled back into him. "Tell me again that I'll find someone."

"You'll find someone, Mel." He rolled to his back and pulled her head on his shoulder. He combed his fingers through her hair. "He's going to be smart and funny and hot. And he's going to watch all the movies you like and read all the books you do. He'll like sports, but not too crazily so that you can watch those home improvement shows you like. And he'll like them too." He kissed her forehead. "He'll find you."

"I hope so." She rolled away. "Go back to your husband."

"Are you okay?"

"I am." She sighed. "I think."

He rolled toward her and wrapped his arms around her again. "I'll stay if you want. That guy in the other room is in bed with me every night. I should get to share a bed with a hot girl every once in a while."

She laughed. "Do you remember that night we attempted to have sex?"

Dace chuckled. "I've never experienced something so horrible."

"Gee, thanks." She sis with mock hurt.

"No, not on your part, Mel." He assured her. "I was trying to be something I wasn't."

"There's always room for exploration. I slept with a girl once."

"And?"

"I realized that if I really wanted to deal with lady parts again, I'd deal with my own." She smiled. "Unless I fall in love with a woman. No one knows who you'll fall in love with, I guess."

"It's true." He yawned. "Go to sleep, Mel. I'm here."

They watched each other for a while, both of their eyes growing heavier by the minute until they were asleep.

* * *

One of the babies started crying. Sebastian mumbled and reached behind him. "Your turn." He found only air. He rolled over. "David?"

Then he heard the familiar footfalls of his husband coming from the guest room and down the hall. He paused at their bedroom door. "I got it, babe."

Sebastian followed him. "Are you okay?"

"I am. Mel isn't. This is her third breakup in as many months." He patted Jimi's back. "Shh."

"Are you and Mel—?"

"Definitely not. We're just friends. Always have been."

"Even when you almost slept with her?"

"That was years ago, Seb."

"I know, baby, but… Never mind. It's late." He rubbed his face. "I'm just tired." He walked over and kissed Dave's neck. "Are you coming back to me or going back to her?"

"I'll be back in with you, babe." He turned his head and kissed Sebastian's hair. "I love you."

"Mm, me too." He pressed a kiss to Dave's lips and then rubbed the back of their son's head lightly. "Good night." He whispered, kissing the baby. He leaned over the crib and looked down at Katherine.

She looked up at him through squinty eyes. Then she closed them again and went right back to sleep.

Sebastian smiled and patted her stomach. "Good night, Katherine." He ran a hand down Dave's arm before he finally went back to their room. He was asleep again in minutes.

He awoke slightly when the bed shifted and Dave kissed his cheek.

* * *

Sebastian woke up to the smell of bacon frying in the kitchen. The weight of Dave's arm was still on his chest. Mel. He moved out from under Dave's arm. His husband mumbled something and rolled away.

Sebastian chuckled to himself as he left the room. He looked in on the babies and found they weren't in their cribs. Then he heard the sound of their swings just under the sizzle of bacon. He breathed a sigh of relief.

"Hey." He said, stepping into the kitchen.

The twins looked his way almost as one. They smiled and waved their arms in the air.

"Hello, Jimi and Katherine." He leaned down and stopped each of their swings long enough to kiss them. "I didn't even hear them."

"I've been awake for a while. When I heard them start to make noise, I got them. You guys deserve to sleep in a little." She moved some bacon onto a plate. "They both ate. Really well, I might add. And Jimi was the perfect gentleman. He waited for his sister to be done before he gulped down his own bottle."

Sebastian smiled and patted her back. "Thanks. And now you're feeding us."

"I hope you don't mind. When Dave and I lived together, Saturdays were bacon and pancake day. And then we'd sit at the table like civilized people and eat together."

"And then what?"

"Veg on the couch watching movies all day." She smiled. "Best relationship I've had with a guy all my life."

"Look…" He sat down at the table. "I know it's hard. I went through a lot of bad relationships between breaking up with Dave and getting with him again. I got discouraged. And I got depressed. My work was the only thing that mattered. And my dad."

"I remember that." She flipped the bacon in the pan. "They haven't all been awful. But they didn't want me for the long-term."

"Have you tried a dating service?"

"I've tried everything." She said, exasperated.

"I'm sorry, Mel."

"I think I'm just going to take a break from dating. The only thing that I'll do to socialize will be to come here when you'll let me."  
"Our door is always open." He said with a smile.

She returned his smile. "Thank you."

"Do I smell bacon?" Dave asked from the doorway.

"You do, indeed." Mel said. "I'm about to start the pancakes."

"You are the best friend ever." Dave wrapped her in a tight hug and kissed her cheek.

"Stop that. You're going to confuse your kids." She scolded playfully.

"My kids!" He let go of her and stepped over to the swings. "Babies!"

They laughed at him.

"Listen to their adorable little giggles." He leaned down and stopped the swings. "What are you adorable little guys doing? Huh? Has Aunt Mel been taking care of you?"

They smiled at him. Katherine's hand went to her mouth and she started gnawing on it.

"How's that tooth coming along?" He pushed her hand out of her mouth and felt for it. "Well, now, a second tooth. Fabulous. What about you, brother?" He put his finger in Jimi's mouth. He looked over his shoulder at Sebastian. "Did you know he's already got a tooth?"

"What? No way. He hasn't been fussy." Sebastian dropped down to the floor beside his husband. "Well, there was a couple days ago when he was drooly and just wanted to be held. I didn't think about teething. He didn't cry like Katherine."

"Well, there are plenty more where that came from." He leaned over and kissed Sebastian's cheek. "I'm sure they will be a thousand times worse."

"I've got a couple pancakes. Who's hungry?" Mel said, breaking into the moment.

"Me!" Dave said as he stood. "I haven't had a good pancake in a while."

"I thought you liked _my_ pancakes." Sebastian said with a pout.

"I do. They're just different."

"They're too dense, right? Damn, I'll have to try to fix them."

"No, don't fix them. I like them. I do, babe, I promise."

"You just like Mel's more?"

"I didn't mean it to sound like that."

Sebastian smiled. "I know. I'm not a huge fan of my pancakes either."


	19. Chapter 19

_Author's note: Christmas time in the Karofsky-Smythe home! The next chapter will be Babies' First Christmas, but this is some stuff leading up to it that I hope you enjoy!_

_Thank you for reading and for giving all forms of feedback. It is very much appreciated.  
_

_Happy reading!  
_

Chapter Nineteen

Sebastian leaned over the crib and looked at Jimi. The baby was smiling brightly. He opened his mouth and started babbling.

He prompted, "I think you can say 'Daddy.' What do you think? Say it. Daddy."

His son stopped talking and looked at him critically as though he was contemplating it. He rolled to his side and looked at Katherine who was still asleep and started talking to her. She looked like her brother's talking was annoying her.

Sebastian picked him up. "Okay. We'll let your sister sleep for a bit more. Dad is still asleep too. And it's the week before Christmas. If we play our cards right, maybe Dad will let you and me go out for some bonding time and shopping. He can stay with sister. What do you think?"

Jimi smiled hugely and started talking again.

"Hey." Dave said from the doorway, scratching his still-mussed hair.

"Hey, baby."

"What was that I hear about shopping?"

"I want to start a tradition."

"And what tradition is that?"

"We take the kids out to go shopping separately. What do you say?"

"I think I like that. I guess. But you and I need to go out together to get all the stuff they don't need." He wrapped his arms around Sebastian's waist and rested his chin on his husband's shoulder. "What do you say? We could get Mel or Emily to watch them."

"Emily and John have a lot going on. Their first married couple Christmas."

"Tabitha sent me a text from Em's phone begging to see the babies." Dave kissed his cheek. "Want me to call?"

"Yeah. See if she wants to pick them up from daycare one day this week and we'll go right after work."

Dave stepped away and went back to retrieve his phone. Sebastian finished dressing Jimi and checked once more on Katherine. She was still asleep.

"Baby, get Katherine when you're done on the phone." He requested as he walked into the kitchen to prepare Jimi's bottle.

"Tuesday sound good?" Dave asked when he joined Sebastian in the living room with Katherine gurgling in his arms.

"Sounds great. Do they know how to get to your building?"

"Yeah, I gave her directions. Tabby is ecstatic." He chuckled and sat down beside Sebastian.

"I bet she is." Sebastian leaned over and kissed Dave's cheek. "When does your dad get here?"

"Next Saturday. One of the busiest travel days of the year." He sighed.

"Fantastic." Sebastian sighed sarcastically.

"So are you taking Jimi and I'm taking Katherine?"

"Sounds good. When they're older and little easier to manage on our own, one person can take both of them separately. They can help me pick out your present and vice versa." He took away Jimi's empty bottle. "Do you want me to carry around the pink bag and confuse people?" He smirked and stood.

"Jimi _could_ be a girl's name." Dave pointed out. "But the name 'Katherine' sewn into the side is a dead giveaway." He slapped Sebastian on the ass. "I don't anyone calling my son 'Katherine.'"

"Don't fucking slap my ass." Sebastian warned playfully.

"Don't say 'fucking' in front of our babies." He smirked. "For shit sake."

Sebastian laughed. "I love you."

"I know. I'm loveable. I'm a teddy bear."

"You are." Sebastian leaned down and brushed a kiss across Dave's lips. "I'll put Katherine's things in her bag." He walked off to the nursery. "We really should move up to the next size clothes for these two." He called.

"I don't want to." Dave said petulantly. "I want to keep them tiny forever."

"We can't, baby. Kids grow."

"I still don't like it." He appeared in the room and sat Katherine in her crib. "I'm going to put her in something really cute and keep a tally about how many women flirt with me." He took out one of her adorable sweater dresses and started to change her from her pajamas.

"Extra points of you get phone numbers." He kissed Dave's cheek. "God, you're hot. It better be a low number."

"Why? If I get a load of girls flirting with me it won't mean anything. I'm completely and totally gay, babe. And married to you." He stole a quick kiss. "Be happy your husband is as hot to others as he is to you."

Sebastian laughed. "You're perfect."

"Well, not exactly."

"Pretty damn close." Sebastian kissed him. It was meant to be quick, but it deepened. Sebastian wrapped an arm around Dave's waist, securely holding Jimi and Katherine between them.

Jimi started wiggling and fussing, breaking them apart.

Sebastian chuckled. "Not going to be happy at our open affection, I can already tell." He kissed the baby. "Shower time. Put her in her crib and join me."

"Hmm, don't mind if I do."

* * *

"Okay, so we meet for lunch at the food court and exchange babies, yes?" Sebastian asked as they unloaded the babies into carriers each had on their chests.

"Sounds good." Dave pulled the diaper bag over his shoulder.

They walked toward the main entrance and shared a quick kiss before parting.

"All right, Katie, you help me keep track. How many ladies can we attract with your adorableness and my hotness?" He kissed the top of her head, earning him looks of lustful admiration from a group of teenage girls.

"Five in one shot. High five, Katie." He lifted her tiny hand and gently tapped it with his own.

She opened her eyes for a moment to look at him in confusion, but then she smiled and rested her head against his chest once again and let out a happy coo.

They wondered from store to store. Dave asked her opinion, even when she was clearly asleep. He chuckled and kissed her. He looked down at his watch.

"Lunch time, Katie. Let's go find Daddy and Jimi, shall we?" He gathered his final choices and his bags and walked toward the checkout.

"Your baby is just so cute." The woman behind the counter gushed.

"Thanks." Dave beamed. "Say thank you, Katherine." He waved her tiny hand.

"You are very welcome." She smiled kindly at the baby and waved as she handed Dave his receipt and credit card.

Katherine raised her head and gave the woman a large gummy smile. She lifted her hand a moment and seemed almost to wave before her hand was stuffed into her mouth.

Dave took his bags and walked away. "Number eleven? Or was that twelve?"

She started talking and gnawed on her hand.

"We'll say twelve. Daddy will be so jealous."

An older woman—with a set of children of her own running around in the play area in the center if the mall—stared at him openly.

He smiled and leaned close to Katherine. "Lucky thirteen." He chuckled.

Dave heard a baby crying as he approached the food court. He had a feeling it was Jimi. His feeling was confirmed when he saw Sebastian struggling with the baby. Katherine looked up at Dave as if asking him what he was going to do about the situation.

"Hey, babe." He said, walking up. "Need a break?"

"He's not happy right now. He's been kind of fussy since we walked in." He handed over Jimi and reached for Katherine.

"Wait." Dave said, holding him close. Jimi had calmed down. "He missed his sister."

"Is that so?" Sebastian said, rubbing his back.

"You want to get food and I'll wait with them?"

"Sounds good." He pulled over a couple high chairs and padded them out with blankets from each of the diaper bags. "Are you sure you have them?"

"I'm fine, babe." He caught the other man's hand and kissed his knuckles quickly.

"Damn." A woman sighed from the next table.

The men shared a laugh before Sebastian walked off. The babies looked at each other and started talking, seeming to have a conversation in their own little language.

* * *

"Okay, so you're dad has the babies out to get some last-minute shopping done." Sebastian wrapped his arms around Dave's waist. "Come to the bedroom with me and let me do some things that have been lacking since he got here." He pressed a kiss to his husband's neck.

"I'd love to, Sebastian, but Dad only went out to get a couple things. Even in the two-days-before-Christmas chaos, he won't be gone long. And I _really_ want a few hours to do making love to you justice." He pulled Sebastian's mouth to his. "I love you, though."

"Yeah, yeah." He smiled and patted Dave's chest. "I'll go back to wrapping presents, then."

"Hey." Dave snagged him around the waist and pressed their mouths and bodies together. "Maybe just something quick."

"Sounds good." Sebastian purred, moving his hands down to rest on Dave's hips. He took control of the kiss, backing up to the wall.

Dave pressed him hard against it with a groan. Both were quickly growing hard as they continued to be pressed together.

"Should we knock?" Paul asked from the kitchen doorway.

Mel chuckled, "You would think they've only been together a few months or something."

Dave turned his head and gave an embarrassed smile to his father and best friend. Sebastian dropped his head to Dave's shoulder.

"Your twins are so good." Paul went about putting the babies in their swings in the living room. "I hardly heard a peep out of them except when they were talking."

Sebastian pressed a kiss to Dave's cheek before sliding out from under him. "Hey, Mel, can I talk to you?"

"Sure." She was busy unloading groceries she and Paul brought inside as the others went back out for the rest.

"I don't want you to think I'm prying or anything, but I invited a guy to lunch Christmas Day. He's single. Family is all back east. He has no one else here, so I invited him."

"In hopes that I would meet him and fall madly in love?"

"Maybe a little bit." He smirked. "His name is Gregory. He deals in adoptions and custody disputes. He's a great guy who just needs a few more friends. He's kind of new here. Kind of like me. And a little awkward sometimes. But he's really sweet. And he just needs a friend."

"Does he like sports?"

"Mostly basketball. But he pays attention to other stuff. We discuss music a lot. And movies." He nudged her arm. "The only straight guy I've ever encountered who likes Gone with the Wind."

She smiled. "Really? Well, I might give this guy a chance."

"Good. Are you staying the night?"

"You guys don't mind me being around for three days?" She leaned against the counter and crossed her arms.

"Of course not. You might as well be family. You and Dave act like brother and sister. Not to mention that Katherine needs as many stable females in her life as we can get."

She wrapped her arms around him and pressed an affectionate kiss to his cheek. "Thank you, Sebastian."

He returned her embrace, patting her back. "Any time."

"Hey, bitch, get your hands off my husband." Dave said lightheartedly.

Mel chuckled and untangled herself from Sebastian. "So what can I cook for supper?"

"You can help me make fried chicken." Paul said, stepping forward and pulling ingredients out of the cabinets and refrigerator. "And let the men of the house relax with their kids."


	20. Chapter 20

_Author's note: Gird your loins for adorablness! Also, there is some Italian and French spoken in this chapter. I got it from my translator app, so if they are saying something completely wrong, please correct me._

_Happy reading!_

Chapter Twenty

"Another pretty dress for Katie." Dave gushed as he took the new piece of clothing out of the package and held it over their daughter. "That should work all the way through summer."

"Yes, it should. Look at these rock star pants for Jimi." Sebastian showed them off. "Going to look sharp."

"This next one is from me." Paul said. "And it's not clothes. Some assembly required." He handed over a large box and sat it between his son and son-in-law.

They tore into it. It was a baby play mat with a piano on the end and an arch of animals dangling over the top. Another picture showed another baby sitting at the piano, the arch of creature toys lying flat.

"I found the one with music." He said happily. "And they can use it laying down now and when they start to sit up on their own. I only got the one so they can learn to share early. Here," he handed over another box, "this is another one to share."

"A baseball mitt rocker!" Dave said when they opened it. "It's so cute!"

"Of course that's one you'll have to watch them on for a few months, but I saw it and thought you'd appreciate it. And I wanted to spoil my grandkids." He kissed each of the dozing babies on their small faces.

Mel handed over a couple more packages. "These babies are making out like bandits. _These_ are for the daddies."

Dave opened up a shirt that said, "Papa Bear." He laughed. "This is the best!" He pulled it on over his other shirt. "Look at me! I'm the Papa Bear."

"You are an adorable Papa Bear." Sebastian said, pressing a kiss to his cheek. Then he opened his own package and found a shirt that said, "Dad x2" with a pair of babies on it. "This is so cute! Thank you, Mel. These are adorable." He put his on too.

"I'm not entirely done. I went on a bit of a shopping spree. Here you go, Paul."

He opened his own shirt that said, "Proud Granddad of Twins." He smiled and nodded his approval. "Thank you, Mel."

They exchanged several more gifts. They handed the babies rattles as they started to come more awake. Dave and Mel retreated into the kitchen to make brunch while Paul and Sebastian fed the twins.

"Thank you for everything, Paul." Sebastian said after a while.

"No problem." He smiled down at Jimi who smiled back up at him. "No problem at all." He looked over. "Have you talked much to Bailey?"

"We talk at least once a week. She mentioned that you two have been hanging out."

"We have been. She wanted to be here, but her time off is so limited and she has family all over Ohio who want her to be there. She's desperate to meet these guys." He bounced the baby in his arms.

"We'll come to you next time." Sebastian said. "The twins should be well enough to fly by Thanksgiving."

"Would it be okay with you if she and I started dating?"

Sebastian smiled. "I think that would be great. Dad's been gone for a while. Your wife has been gone even longer. You both should have a chance to be happy."

"Thanks, Sebastian. That's what I needed to hear."

* * *

Gregory arrived early that afternoon. He handed over a six pack of beer.

"You are a god, Gregory. Thank you." Sebastian took the back from him. "Come on in. Dodge the massive amount of toys our twins hauled in. This is my father-in-law Paul." He said as they walked into the kitchen. "My husband Dave. And this is his best friend in the whole world, after me, Mel. And this is Gregory."

He greeted everyone and then asked, "Where are your babies? I haven't officially met them yet, either."

"They're napping away from the chaos, but they are super adorable when they're sleeping." He deposited the beer in the fridge and then waved him toward the back of the house.

"Oh, they're even cuter in real life." Gregory leaned over the crib. "They look a little too big for this arrangement."

"Almost. We put them in separate beds at night." He looked over to his friend. "So, what do you think of Mel?"

"She's cute." He straightened. "And she _is_ single?

"Yes. With a string of bad relationships behind her."

"Hm." Gregory leaned against the wall. "I don't want to jump into anything. I've had my share of bad relationships."

"So just hang out today and don't think of her as a potential date. Think of her as a potential friend. If it becomes anything else, that's up to you."

He nodded.

"Hey, babe, where should I put this stuff?" Dave appeared at the door with an armful of toys.

"Just pile it on our bed. We'll sort it out later. Unless you have a better idea."

"Nope, that seems like the best." He walked off.

"I need to help clear that up. Come get to know the others."

They walked into the living room. A football game was on the TV and Mel and Paul were discussing a recent play.

"There's always sports on this damn TV." Sebastian complained as he gathered some presents in his arms.

"Your husband put it on." Paul said quickly, putting his hands up in the air.

"I bet he did." He gestured to a chair, "Make yourself at home, Gregory." He walked toward the back of the house.

Dave caught him around the waist in the hall. "I haven't kissed you properly since you gave me my present."

Sebastian chuckled. "Did you like it?"

"I did." He pressed a hard kisser to Sebastian's mouth. "Mel thinks he's very handsome, by the way." He mumbled as he kissed Sebastian again.

"Yeah, quite handsome. I don't know how I get any work done." He laughed and moved away. "We have company, you can't fondle me in the hallway. Especially when my hands are full."

Dave grabbed a handful of his ass as he walked away. "I'll do what I want in my own house." He smirked and walked away.

Sebastian laughed as he made the rest of the way back to the bedroom.

When he walked back into the living room, Mel and Gregory were sitting close together on the couch having a very animated discussion. He looked to his husband as he sat down on the arm of his chair.

"Books." Dave said in explanation.

"Nice." He pretended to lose his balance and landed in Dave's lap. He pressed a kiss to his lips before he got up and moved to the other side of the room.

Mel and Gregory were inseparable for the rest of the day. They kept up a long string of conversation on every subject that came to them. They kept everyone else well-entertained when they started talking about Gone with the Wind. Sebastian joined in at that point with his own brand of fangirling.

"We should have a Gone with the Wind party." Mel suggested. "Everyone dresses up and we make all the food they like in the South and put on the movie and just make a night of it."

"I'm totally all for that." Sebastian said.

"Of course you are." Dave shot his way with a teasing smile.

"I'd show up." Gregory said timidly, smiling at Mel.

"Make sure it's scheduled for after I'm back in Lima." Paul said.

"I wish I could go with you, Dad." Dave stood and picked Jimi up out of the swing as he had started to squirm and fuss. He sat down on the floor with him as he put him on the piano matt his father had given them.

He pushed his feet against the keyboard at the end and the baby paused in his fussing when he heard the music. He looked around him and kicked his feet and waved his hands. There was more music.

Dave sat back and watched him as he continued to move around, his feet in just the right place to continue to hit the keys and make noise. The rest of the room watched in silent adoration for a moment.

Katherine started crying in her swing and Dave got her out, moving Jimi over and squeezing her in beside him. It was a tight fit. Their arms got tangled together and Katherine started crying even louder. Dave took her out of the contraption.

"Okay, Sweet Pea. You can have a toy to yourself." He sat her in a bouncy seat with toys to kick.

She smiled as the seat rattled when she kicked.

"There you go." He rocked her in the seat as the conversation ion the room resumed.

There was a knock on the door and Sebastian got up to answer. Mitch and Sasha stood on the threshold with boxes in their arms. "Merry Christmas!"

Dave shot up. "Buon Natale!" He kissed Sasha's cheeks and then pulled Mitch into a tight hug. "What's going on? I thought you were out of town."

"We came back a bit early. And we thought we'd bring your gifts over." Mitch explained.

"Well, thank you. Come on in. Watch out for the kids." He introduced them to Gregory.

"Oh, they are getting so big." Sasha gushed, sitting down on the floor between the twins.

Katherine smiled the instant she was given more attention. Jimi, on the other hand, turned his face away and looked at her out of the corner of his eye.

"Si flirtare con me, Jimi?" She gushed, leaning over him and tickling him.

He started laughing.

"Oh, it's so cute." She said with a laugh.

Mitch sat down beside her. "We brought you and your brother presents, Katherine. I bet you've had plenty of those today."

"Oh, yes. Mostly clothes." Dave commented.

"Well, baby clothes are just so cute." Sasha said. "Propio come questi bambini."

"I think they're starting to understand the Italian." Dave commented. "Sometimes Sebastian talks to them in French, too."

"You didn't tell me that." Paul said. "Are you trying to confuse my gandbabies?"

Sebastian laughed. "We just started recently. Only a few things here and there. We want their first words to be in English. But we agree that knowing a second or third language only helps. Dave's read all the books." He winked at his husband. "Et je viens d'aller avec elle."

"Mi piace quando si parla francese." Dave commented, perching on the arm of Sebastian's chair.

"Je l'aime quand vous parlez italien." He kissed Dave's hand.

Mel gagged. "Stop it, you've been married almost two years now. Get over yourselves."

Dave laughed. "Whatever, just wait until you marry the love of your life. You'll be all over him."

"I'm sure." She cut her eyes nervously to Gregory who was watching her intently.

Sebastian said, "So how else are our babies being spoiled in this, their very first Christmas in existence?"

Sasha laughed warmly and handed the box she held to them. Mitch did the same and they tore into them just as eagerly as they had earlier in the day. Each package contained a small blanket with a stuffed animal head in one corner: one an elephant and the other a rabbit.

"Oh, these are so cute!" Sebastian said.

They both got up and moved toward the babies. Sebastian draped the rabbit blanket over Jimi and then waved the animal close to his face. "Hi, Jimi." He said. "I'm Mr. Rabbit."

He cooed and waved his hands, grabbing the blanket clumsily and bringing it straight to his mouth.

"He likes it." Sebastian said, sitting on the floor with him.

"And Katie likes Elephant. Thank you, guys. Thank you to everyone. It's been a great Christmas."

"It has." Sebastian agreed. "Does anyone need a drink or something? It's about time for these two to have a bottle." He rubbed Jimi's stomach, causing the baby to giggle.

"May I feed one?" Sasha asked.

"Sure, no problem."

Dave took a list of drinks while Sebastian went off to the kitchen to prepare bottles for the babies.

He handed a bottle to Sasha as she reached for Jimi. Gregory offered to feed Katherine when Sebastian started unstrapping her from the bouncy. Sebastian handed her over.

He promised, "I have nieces and nephews, I won't drop her."

"Good." He gave his friend the bottle.

Katherine started crying as soon as she spotted it.

"Sh, give me a minute." Gregory said as he situated her.

Jimi cut his eyes toward the sound and then back at Sasha to comment on the situation.

She smiled. "I thought you knew what you were doing, Gregory." She teased.

"I said I wouldn't drop her." He said as he finally put the bottle in her mouth. "I never said I was perfect at the whole crying thing."

They all laughed.

Sebastian noticed a silent exchange pass between Sasha and Mitch.

"Sasha and I have some news." Mitch finally said.

"News?" Dave asked. "What news?"

Sasha beamed. "We're adopting a little girl. Her name is Francesca. She is Italian. We've been looking all over for the child who would be ours perfectly. We saw her picture…Destino. She was ours."

"Congratulations!" Dave said. "How old is she?"

"Almost two. I will fly to meet her next week. Mitch has a game."

"I'm sorry." Dave told his client.

He shrugged. "It's all happening so fast. We just got the call yesterday. She booked the flight. I'll meet her when she gets here."

"At least the game will be local. That'll help with your nerves."

"I told him to just focus on the game and let me handle getting Francesca here." She rubbed his arm.

After a short time, Gregory stood and announced that he had to leave. Mel nervously said that she would walk him out.

"Goodbye all." He said, passing Katherine to Paul.

Dave watched as the pair left, walking very close. As soon as the door shut he got up and walked to the window.

"Davey, don't do that." Sebastian admonished.

"You know you want to know, too." He watched. "They've got their phones out for the number exchange. She giggled. He giggled. And now he's leaning in…Oh, denied!" He laughed. "She's coming back." He moved away from the window and sat back down, trying to act normal.

"We've got a date planned for New Year's Eve, Mr. Nosypants." Mel said, plopping down on the couch. "Don't think I didn't see you watching from the window."

"Yay, Mel has a date with a hot guy!"

"A _nice_ hot guy. Thank you, Sebastian. I know I've said it a few dozen times, but I really do have a good feeling about him."

"Well, I hope it's a true good feeling this time." Her best friend said.

"Me too. I really liked that guy." Paul said as he burped Katherine.

After putting the babies to bed, Mitch and Sasha left. Mel was convinced to stay another night and the adults began the cleaning process.


	21. Chapter 21

_Author's note: I'm sorry for the long wait. A lot of other stuff inspired me a bit more than this one. I'll try really hard to move it along. actresswithoutastage and I have a lot of great ideas that will be coming up soon. And I made up for the wait in this chapter, I think._

_Thank you for reading, favoriting, following, and reviewing!_

_Happy reading!_

Chapter Twenty-One

"Are you sure about this, Em?" Sebastian asked. "They aren't sleeping well."

"Well, there are two adults and one very anxious little girl to care for them. It's your anniversary. You should be able to celebrate. And you haven't had any time for just you two since they were born."

"We really appreciate it." Dave said, bringing in the twins' bags. "There should be plenty of diapers. And clothes if they spit food all over themselves. There are teething rings for them and that stuff you rub on their gums. Oh, and if you want to give them a little bit of the pain killer just before bed, go for it. That will give you at least a few hours of sleep. Theybhaven't had any today."

"You're like superdad." Emily teased.

"Well, it's been a while since you've done this and now it's times two." Sebastian pointed out. He kneeled down over the babies in their car seats and kissed each of them. "I love you, babies. You have fun with Aunt Emily and Uncle John and Tabby. Don't cause too much trouble."

Dave bent over them next and simply kissed each of them, whispering, "I love you, guys."

They all walked out to Emily's car together and helped get the car seats strapped in. The men stood with their hands clasped between them and watched as Emily drove away.

Sebastian kissed Dave's hand and then headed back inside. "I made reservations at that Italian place you like."

"Sounds good." He caught Sebastian around the waist and pressed a kiss to his lips. "What time?"

"Seven-thirty."

Dave nodded and kissed him again. "I'll be ready." He walked off toward the back of the house and gathered some things from the bathroom. He disappeared into the guest bathroom, knowing that Sebastian had a lot more products and steps to get ready. All Dave really had to do was shower and dress.

Sebastian primped in front of the mirror for a long time. Dave knocked on the door several times to try to hurry him along.

"Do you want me to look hot or not?" Sebastian finally called back.

"You always look hot, Sebastian. But we're running out of time."

He sighed and opened the bathroom door. He ran his hand through his hair. "How do I look?"

"Amazing, babe." Dave kissed him softly and then pulled him toward the front door. "Come on, I'm starving."

"Baby, wait." Sebastian said with a laugh. "I have to get your present."

"Oh, we're actually doing that?" Dave said with a straight face. Sebastian gave him an exasperated look and a smile spread across his lips. "I'm kidding. I've have your present."

"You better." He walked into their bedroom and came out with a small box in his hand that he stuffed in his coat pocket. "Let's go. Who's driving?"

"Do you want to drink?"

"I'll maybe have one. To toast us. But that's it. You?"

"The same. Rock, Paper, Scissors?"

Sebastian laughed. "You drive, baby."

"Okay." He picked up a gift from beside the door much bigger than Sebastian's and took the keys off the hook.

They rode to the restaurant in a comfortable silence. Sebastian leaned over the console and pressed kisses to Dave's cheek. Dave squeezed his hand and kissed him back at every stop light.

They held hands as they walked up to the restaurant. A few people waiting to be seated gave them contemptible looks, especially when Sebastian leaned closer to Dave and rested his head on his husband's shoulder. Dave kissed Sebastian's forehead.

"Karofsky-Smythe, party of two?" The hostess said.

"That's us!" Sebastian exclaimed, pulling Dave forward.

"You're ridiculous." Dave murmured.

"You married me."

"Is this your anniversary?" The woman asked as she handed them their menus.

"Yep. Two years." Sebastian said happily.

"Two very long years." Dave said with a teasing grin.

Sebastian kicked him under the table. "Shut up." He giggled.

"That's so sweet." She smiled. "Your waiter will be with you in a moment.

"Thank you." Dave said. He opened his menu. "Vediamo." He murmured.

"What was that thing you had last time that I tried?"

"The veal tartar?"

"Yeah, that. I'm going to have that."

A waiter came over with a bottle of wine. "On the house in honor of your anniversary." He poured each of them a glass. "Are you ready to order?"

"I believe so." Sebastian said. "David?"

Dave ordered, but held off ordering dessert. He wasn't sure he could handle too much after the rich foods he'd ordered for the rest of his courses. Sebastian did the same. They sat back with their wine for a while and just watched each other.

"I'm not much of a wine drinker." Dave pointed out.

"No, you're not. But this is a good year." Sebastian took a sip and worked it around his mouth for a while. "A very good year." He put his glass on the table and reached into his coat pocket. He took out the box. "I hope you don't think it too cheesy, but I was searching all over the place for something perfect for you. And I found this." He handed over the box.

Dave tore away the paper and opened the box underneath to find what looked like a silver guitar pick attached to a chain. It had the words "I pick you." on one side and "S&D" stamped on the back with their wedding date. "Babe, this is amazing. Thank you." He leaned over the table and kissed his husband. He put the necklace on and then reached down on the floor. "In _my_ research, I found out that the second anniversary is traditionally the cotton anniversary. So this is my interpretation of that." He handed over his gift and sat forward as Sebastian opened it.

Sebastian chuckled when he pulled out a red t-shirt with the words "Trophy Husband" printed on it. "Thank you, Dave. This is perfect. I'll wear this tomorrow."

"So you like it?"

"I love it, baby." He reached across the table and slipped a hand into his husband's. "I love _you_."

"I love you, too."

For the most of the evening, they held hands across the table. They played footsie. They laughed. They talked about how much they missed their babies, but that they were glad for the break and time together alone.

Dave excused himself for a minute, being vague about where he was going. Sebastian suspected he was going to find their waiter and request something special. He never was good with surprises. Sebastian took out his phone to send Emily a text, but found a picture of Tabitha and the twins awaiting him. They looked happy.

"_Thanks, Em. I was about to ask how they are doing._"

"_They are angels. Fussy, uncomfortable angels. Lol_"

"_Call if it gets to be too much. We'll come get them._"

"_Don't worry about us. Enjoy your husband. They will be back with you in the morning._"

Dave came back and Sebastian showed him the picture.

"They are so cute. Just like their daddy." He smiled. "I think they're both yours."

"I don't care if they are or not."

"I don't really either. But they look like you. Especially Jimi."

Sebastian kissed his hand. "I still think Katie looks like you."

"Maybe a little." He smirked and sat back with his glass of water.

A moment later, their waiter appeared with a large plate with a small sample of all the desserts. The waiter explained all of them and wished them once more a happy anniversary.

Dave smiled. "We haven't ever tried the dessert in the past. And I know you can be a little picky sometimes when it comes to sweets. So I asked for a sampler. They gladly obliged."

Sebastian took a bit of a chocolate mousse and made an appreciative noise. "Baby, try this." He held up a bit on his fork and Dave leaned forward.

"That _is_ good."

They cleaned the plate, feeding each other a few more bites of things. A couple at the next table watched them and whispered to each other how adorable the men were. Another group talked a little more loudly about the disgusting display.

Dave and Sebastian didn't care about the negative remarks they heard very clearly. They were in love. They were married. They had two beautiful babies. Those were the things that mattered. They were both over the harsh words.

They paid their bill, leaving their waiter a very generous tip and then they left hand-in-hand once more.

In the car, Sebastian leaned into Dave again, but this time his touches were more heated and had a more insistent intent. He rubbed Dave's thigh and kissed his neck.

"I'm trying to drive, Sebastian." He scolded, but only half-heartedly.

Sebastian laughed seductively in his ear. "Drive faster, David. This is a sports car. It's built for speed."

"So are you." Dave teased as he pressed his foot down just a little more on the gas.

Somehow they managed to avoid the police. Sebastian got out of the car and ran around to Dave's side as he climbed out. He grabbed his husband's face and kissed him deeply. A soft moan escaped Dave. He grabbed Sebastian's hips and pulled them close, showing the other man the effect he was having.

They made it inside, but just barely. They tore at each other's clothes, throwing them all over the living room. They fell together onto the couch where their kiss grew even more urgent. Dave moaned again and dug his nails into Sebastian's back

Sebastian groaned and rolled off the couch. He tugged on Dave's hand. "Come on, baby." He kissed his husband and then all but ran to their bedroom. He pushed Dave onto the bed as he pulled the bottle of lube from the drawer. He smiled enticingly as he squirted some of the liquid onto his hand. He closed his hand around Dave's erection and started stroking him slowly.

Dave reached up and placed a hand on the back of Sebastian's neck. He pulled the other man down for a long kiss as he pulled Sebastian onto his lap. Dave groaned and pulled Sebastian toward him even more, pushing his hand away gently. He rolled Sebastian underneath him and cupped his face.

"I love you." He whispered before pressing his lips to his husband's.

"I love you, David." Sebastian whispered back between kisses.

Dave gently pushed into Sebastian. They were still a moment, staring at each other. Slowly, Dave moved out and then back in. He moved at the same pace for a long time. Sebastian watched his face as he worked to hold off as long as possible. He stroke Sebastian in the same agonizing pace.

"Faster." Sebastian said softly after it seemed evident that it wouldn't be much longer for either of them. He took over stroking himself.

Dave paused and kissed him. Then he leaned back and moved at a quicker speed, increasing with every thrust. Flesh slapped together and their voices blended into a gloriously erotic song. Sebastian leaned his head back and let out a groan that sounded vaguely like his husband's name. Dave was making incoherent sounds. And then one long, low groan signaled his climax. Sebastian followed a moment later with a whine of his own.

"Sebastian." Dave sighed, looking down at his slick, sticky body.

"Yeah, baby?"

"I just had to say your name." He collapsed beside Sebastian on the bed. "Happy anniversary."

"Yes." He leaned over and kissed him lazily. "Here's to at least fifty more years together." He kissed Dave again and then moved to his back once more. Both were quiet.

"Do you think the babies are okay?" Dave asked into the silence.

"I think so."

"I miss them."

"I do too."

"So you want to go get them?"

"Baby, it's late. They're probably asleep." Sebastian argued. "And this is the one night when we can go to bed and not worry that a screaming baby will wake us up." He kissed Dave's shoulder. "So let's shower and then do that."

Dave sighed happily. "Okay."


	22. Chapter 22

_Author's note: Sorry for the long gap between chapters. I am determined to work on this story and finish it soon. There aren't very many chapters left. There's lots of baby cuteness in this chapter and a new character who will soon play a very big role._

_The song in this chapter is Shining Star by Backstreet Boys._

_Happy reading!_

Chapter Twenty-Two

"Tell Daddy bye-bye. Time to go to daycare." Dave said, lifting both babies into his arms.

"Dada!" Katherine said forlornly, reaching out to Sebastian.

Sebastian kissed her. "It's okay, Katie-bug. Daddy loves you." He pressed a kiss to Jimi's cheek. "Daddy loves you too, Jimi. I'll see you both later." He cupped Dave's cheeks and kissed him softly. "Have a good day, baby."

"You too." He watched Dave as he put their kids in his car.

Jimi was standing pretty well these days. Dave sat him down on his feet beside the car while he strapped their daughter in. Katherine was getting better with pulling up and walking, but she still preferred to crawl. She was definitely the more cautious of the two.

Jimi was attempting to climb into the car when Dave picked him up and ran around to the other side with him. "Running late." He mumbled as he tried to put the boy into his car seat.

Jimi screamed and wiggled. "No!" It was his first word. The only word he liked. He was for sure the more demanding twin.

Dave was finally able to get him strapped in. He ran up on the front porch and wrapped his arms around Sebastian's shoulders. "I love you."

"I love you, too, David." They shared a kiss and then Dave bounded back down the stairs to his car and their babies.

Katherine started crying as they pulled away and called for her daddy. Jimi babbled in the other side of the back seat. After a while, Katherine calmed down and she and her brother seemed to be having a conversation, babbling back and forth.

He loaded them into the stroller. They were still talking in their sweet little voices. Jimi again got upset at being strapped in.

"Calm down, kid. You'll get out soon enough."

They stopped talking and looked toward him almost as one.

"It's creepy when you do that." He said, kissing each of them. "You both look just like Daddy right now." He got behind the stroller and pushed it toward the building.

He had long suspected that Sebastian was their biological father. It didn't bother him. The couple had similar features, so no one would be able to tell. And no one ever seemed bold enough to ask so far.

The only thing that worried him was Sebastian's family health history. So far his husband's check-ups were fine, but that didn't mean it could turn around in the coming years. Maybe they needed to have a discussion about that soon.

"Jimi and Katherine are here!" Megan exclaimed and helped Dave take them out of the stroller.

"Jimi was pulling up on everything this weekend, so I think his first steps are just around the corner." Dave put the boy down on the floor.

He stood, holding tight to his father's hands.

"Katherine's our talker. She learned 'cat' this weekend." He leaned down and kissed the top of Jimi's head and pried his fingers out of the boy's grasp.

Jimi stood a moment before he fell on his bottom and started crying. It didn't last long, though, because he spotted his favorite toy a few feet away and made a beeline for it.

Dave chuckled and took Katherine from her teacher. "See you later, Katie. Keep your brother out of trouble." He kissed her cheek and then set her down on the floor by Jimi.

She sat and started crying, reaching her chubby arms toward him. "Dada!"

He kneeled down and stroked her tiny cheek. "Dad has to work, Katie. You'll be okay." He kissed her once more and then stood. She started crying harder as he collapsed the stroller.

"It's okay, Katherine." Megan scooped her up and held her close. "Dad will be back in just a few hours. Let's go find some toys." She walked away as Dave left.

It was hard for him. She hadn't acted like that before. But he knew from reading all the books that separation anxiety usually started around this time. He sighed and stepped into the elevator. No matter what the books said, nothing really prepared you for the look of hurt in your child's eyes when you left them.

He walked into his office to gather his things for the staff meeting.

A young girl squeaked and quickly put down the picture of Sebastian and the twins he kept on his desk. "I'm sorry. I thought everyone was in the meeting." She said.

"I'm running behind today." He said as he stashed the stroller in the corner and started piling things into his desk.

"Your kids are cute." She started gathering her cleaning supplies.

Dave smiled. "Thank you. My husband's pretty handsome, too."

She nodded. "I thought it was you. Until you walked in, of course."

"Nah."

She smiled. "I'm Amy. Amy Larson. I'm new."

He held out his hand. "David Karofsky-Smythe." He picked up the picture and pointed out his family. "Katherine, Jimi, and Sebastian."

"You have a sweet family. My boyfriend doesn't want kids."

"I'm sorry to hear that." He picked up the pile of things. "I'm sorry, I have to go. I'm really late. It was nice meeting you, Amy."

"You too, Mr. Karofsky-Smythe."

"Please, call me Dave." He waved and hurried out of the room.

* * *

"Dada!" Katherine exclaimed happily, crawling toward Dave like there was a fire behind her.

Dave scooped her up and kissed her. "Hello, my baby girl. You knew Dad was coming to get you." He walked a little farther in.

Jimi smiled up at him, bouncing on his legs. He used a low shelf to make his way to his father. He let go and took a step without thinking.

He dropped down in front of his son. "You took a step on your own. Daddy's going to be so happy." He pulled Jimi to his chest and stood. "Are you guys ready to go home? I know I am."

He drove home, telling the twins about his day. They were quiet in the back. At the first red light, he looked in the mirrors that showed him the babies were contentedly sitting there. Jimi sucked on his thumb. Katherine reached toward the toys hanging over her car seat. He smiled and drove on, still talking to the babies.

Sebastian walked in to see Dave and the twins on the floor of the living room. He dropped down beside him and pressed a lingering kiss to his husband's mouth. "Hi."

Dave smiled. "Hi." He rubbed Sebastian's back. "Jimi took a step at daycare without holding on. But he hasn't done it since. I've been trying since we got home, but he hasn't done it again."

"It'll happen. Don't push him." He pulled Katherine onto his lap. "Hello, sweetie." He kissed her.

She leaned her head against his shoulder.

"Oh, I love you too, Katie." He kissed her cheek again.

After a moment, she pulled herself up to stand on his legs and started bouncing. She laughed and patted his shoulders.

Sebastian started singing softly after a while.

_You're my shining star,  
that is what you are  
There is no one like you baby  
Angels everywhere  
Every time you're near  
You will always be my baby_

Katherine danced as he sang. Jimi made a happy sound and started babbling along with his daddy as though singing along with him and bounced on Dave's legs. When he finished the song, he kissed the babies and then his husband. He stood and, holding onto her hands, walked with Katherine into the kitchen.

"Let's see what's for supper." He sat her down on the floor and pulled out a pan and a spoon and handed them to her.

"Sebastian, get in here!" Dave called.

Sebastian scooped his daughter up and ran back into the living room.

Jimi stood on his own, his hands held out for balance. He smiled, proud of himself. With much concentration, he lifted up his foot and placed it slightly in front of the other. He looked up at his Dad who kneeled in front of him with his hands on either side of the boy's waist.

He took another step. He grew a little more confident and took yet another. He laughed and dropped to his hands and knees and crawled the rest of the way to his Daddy, pulling himself up in the man's leg.

He lifted his hand. "Dada."

Sebastian scooped him up and kissed him. "I'm so proud of you, Jimi."

Both babies rested their heads on his shoulders.

Dave stood and kissed Jimi and Katherine. "Why don't you relax with them? I'll cook tonight."

"We'll both cook." He walked back into the kitchen and sat the babies down once more. He handed each of them a wooden spoon and they started banging happily.

"Tell me about your day." Dave prompted as he started pulling ingredients for spaghetti out of the cabinets and fridge.

Sebastian started talking and the babies started banging even louder and singing at the tops of their voices. Sebastian stopped talking and watched them a moment before he said, "Katherine and Jimi."

They looked up at him.

He put his finger against his lips. "Shh."

They smiled and went back to banging on the pots.

Sebastian shrugged and went on talking over them as best he could.

When they sat down to eat, the babies were finally quiet as they stuffed food into their mouths. Dave and Sebastian watched them affectionately for a while and then Dave looked across the table at his husband.

"I want to talk to you about something." He said, twirling pasta onto his fork.

"What?" Sebastian took a bite and watched the other man expectantly.

Dave cleared his throat. "I think they're both yours."

Sebastian chuckled. "They're _ours_."

"I know they're _ours_, but I think biologically they're _yours_."

Sebastian grew serious, watching him as he ate. "Why does it matter?"

"Because your father and grandfather both died of heart attacks relatively young. And you go for your yearly check-up afraid you'll die soon too."

"So do you want to find out?" He asked softly.

"I'd like not to walk into appointments with them blind. We have the egg donor's medical history. The rest is a guess."

Sebastian nodded. "I understand."

"We don't have to tell them the results. And it won't change anything how I feel about them if they're _mine_ or _yours._ They're still _ours_, like you said. I just want to make sure…"

He reached across the table and covered Dave's hand. "I agree. Let's figure out how to do it."

Dave turned his hand over and squeezed Sebastian's. "I don't want them growing up knowing."

"So we keep it a secret?"

"No, I think we should make it clear that one of us is their biological father, but not say which one. They need to know that it doesn't matter when it comes to how much we love them."

"They'll need to know eventually. They'll _want_ to know. It's human nature."

"And when that time comes, we tell them." He looked over to the babies again, they were still eating, spaghetti sauce all over their faces and in their hair and all over the chairs. Sebastian laughed and told them, "You're going to stain the bathtub."

Dave laughed. "I think this is my favorite thing."

"What?"

"The life we have. The boring things. Eating supper. Taking care of our babies. Going to sleep beside you and waking up with you every day." Dave shrugged. "I love it all. And I love you."

Sebastian kissed his hand. "I love you, too."

"Do you ever think about having any more?"

"Sometimes."

Dave nodded. "Me too."

"I'd like to start looking into it again in a year." Sebastian said. "Would that be okay?"

"That's fine." Dave kissed his hand. "I want to go to Ohio for their birthday if I'm not on the road."

"The twins and I will follow you if you are. I don't want you to spend their first birthday without you. We're not going to start that."

"Good plan." Dave went back to his food and told Sebastian about his day.


	23. Chapter 23

_Author's note: Hey, y'all! I'm back! And I'm going to definitely try updating once a week. Only a handful of chapters left. Including the babies' first birthday!_

_Happy reading!_

Chapter Twenty-Three

"Okay, you two have fun with Tabitha and be good for Aunt Emily and Uncle John." Dave said, as he placed them on the living room floor. "Daddy and I will be back for you in a few hours."

"They'll be fine." John assured him. "And we could have come to get them."

Jimi ran across the room to Tabitha on his wobbly legs. She dropped down onto the floor to greet him with a tight hug. Katherine watched her brother for a while, holding onto the couch.

"She'll take off any minute. Watch out." Dave leaned down and kissed the top of her head. "I love you, Katie-bug." He walked across the room. "Jimi, be good."

"Dada!" He wrapped his arms around Dave's leg.

He kissed the top of the boy's head. "I love you, Jim-bo." He stood. "Thank you, John." The men walked together to the door. "How's Emily?"

He shrugged. "She's okay. As good as can be expected."

"I'm really sorry about the baby."

John nodded. "Thank you. So am I. I don't know how to help her. She's so depressed…" He gave a small smile. "She'll be okay. She's been anticipating this evening for days. She loves your babies."

"We're happy that you are still in their lives. Sebastian is putting together a book for them to explain how they came into our lives. There are lots of pictures of Emily. From almost every month. And your wedding. And, well, a lot of you and your family mixing with ours." He clapped the other man on the shoulder. "You'll be okay."

"Thanks."

"Jimi's starting to get into stuff. Keep an eye on him." He blew kisses to the babies once more and then left.

He arrived at Sebastian's office and walked inside. He smiled and waved at all the people he recognized as he passed them. He knocked on Sebastian's open door and stepped in.

"Hey, there's my gorgeous husband." Sebastian said, wrapping an arm around Dave's waist and kissing his cheek. "How are the twins?"

"Happily playing with Tabby now, I'm sure."

"How are Em and John?"

"I didn't see Emily. But John said she was fine. And looking forward to spending the evening with our kids."

Sebastian smiled and stepped away. "I just have a few things to finish up. Have a seat. Make yourself comfortable."

Dave sat and watched as his husband moved around the room putting files away and typing things into his computer. A few minutes later he stood and stretched. "I'm so glad I don't have to work tomorrow. It's been a long week."

"It has been. So did Gregory say what the big occasion was?"

They walked out of the office. Sebastian closed and locked the door.

"No. Just that he wanted us to get together. We haven't had a date night with them in a while. They've come over a few times with others. And the babies are always around. It'll be nice to have a bit of complete adult time."

"We should have Tabby over soon. Maybe spend the whole weekend. Let John and Emily have some time alone."

"They deserve it. But maybe when they can, you know, try again."

Dave nodded and took a seat behind the wheel.

"What do you think?"

"How do we broach that subject, though? 'We'd like to have your daughter over for the weekend so you can get with the baby-making.'"

Sebastian laughed and placed a hand on his husband's knee. "I was thinking more like, 'Dave and the twins and I would love to spend the weekend with your daughter when it's convenient for you.'"

"That sounds better." Dave patted his hand. "I look forward to it."

"Me too. I also look forward to not having to run after babies drooling and peeing and getting into everything for a few hours."

"What if Katie starts walking?"

Sebastian squeezed his hand. "It'll be okay. She'll still be walking when we get back."

* * *

"Hey, welcome!" Mel said, pulling them both inside.

"Hello, Miss Melly." Sebastian held out a six pack of beer.

"Thank you, Sebastian." She took it and then kissed Dave's cheek. "How are you?"

"Good." He looked her over. "You look great. What are you doing?"

She shrugged, "Not much. Gregory is a better cook than me, so we eat in a lot."

"That's how I got this one to shape up." Sebastian said, slipping an arm around Dave's waist and patting his stomach. "He was already hot, I just helped him achieve better hotness." He kissed his husband's cheek and then walked into the kitchen to help Gregory.

"So is it happening?" He asked anxiously.

Gregory turned, "I'm going to try to work up to it." He reached into his pocket and produced a ring box. "Check it out."

Sebastian opened it and saw an antique ruby engagement ring with small diamonds along the silver band. "This is gorgeous."

"You think she'll wear it?"

"Why the hell not?" He handed the box back and clapped him on the back. "She won't ever take it off."

He put the ring back in his pocket. "I've almost got this done. You want to help me bring stuff to the table?"

They sat around the table a short time later, joking and laughing. Dave and Sebastian took turns telling stories about their kids. Mel and Gregory ate it up. There weren't any people in their lives who weren't enamored with Jimi and Katherine.

"So are you ever going to have any more?" Gregory asked as he passed around strawberry cheesecake, Mel's favorite.

Dave and Sebastian exchanged a look. Sebastian squeezed his hand and then answered, "We've talked about it. We think we'll see what happens in the next couple years. We trusted Emily as our surrogate. And we really lucked out with finding the right donor. Now that Emily is married and working on adding to her own family, we'd have to find a new surrogate and it was stressful enough the first time."

"Have you ever considered adoption?" His friend asked. "You and I both know the laws better than the average potential adopter. We could figure it out."

Dave said, "We have discussed that. I kind of want to. My beautiful husband over here isn't sure he wants the stress of our own adoption process."

"I think you should go for it." Mel said.

"We'll have to see."

After they finished dessert, Dave stood to start clearing the plates.

Gregory stopped him. "I have something to say."

Sebastian smiled at his friend and patted his back.

Gregory turned to his girlfriend "Mel, I asked for this dinner for a very specific reason. These guys are the ones that brought us together. And I think it only fitting that they be here for this." He kneeled down in front of her.

Mel covered her mouth. "Oh, my god!"

Gregory pulled out a small box and opened it. "This was my grandmother's and I think she would be just as honored as me if you would wear it. Melanie, will you marry me?"

With tears streaming down her face, she nodded and squeaked out, "Yes!" She threw herself into his arms and kissed him hard on the mouth as Dave and Sebastian cheered.

Gregory slipped the ring onto her finger. It was a little small. "My grandmother had tiny hands. We can go get it resized first thing tomorrow."

"There's no rush, Gregory." She kissed him again and put the ring back in the box. "It's beautiful. I can't wait to wear it. And I love you. I love you so much." She kissed him again and again.

"I love you, too." Gregory wrapped his arms around her waist and lifted her off her feet.

Dave hugged them both and congratulated them.

Sebastian did the same and then started clearing the plates with his husband.

The four worked together to clean up. Mel and Gregory made a few tentative plans for the wedding.

As Dave and Sebastian moved toward the door, Gregory stopped them. "If it would be okay, we'd like both of you and your kids in our wedding." He looked to Sebastian. "I'd like you to be my best man."

"Sure thing." He enthusiastically shook his friend's hand.

Gregory pulled him into a hug. "Thank you."

"I'd like you to be my man of honor, Dave." Mel said softly.

"I'd love to be." He hugged her tightly and kissed her cheek. He whispered, "I told you it would happen at the right time."

"You did. Thank you for the encouragement." They parted. "I know you're not good with fashion, so I'm going to get Emily and Sasha to help with the dress."

"Good, I was worried." He chuckled.

"Get out of here and go see your babies." Gregory said with a grin.

"Translated into, 'Go away so I can bang my new fiancée.'" Sebastian teased, hugging them both again. "Congrats again."

"Yeah, I'm so happy for you both." Dave agreed. In the car on the way back, he asked, "Did you know?"

Sebastian looked sideways at him. "He told me he was thinking about it. He showed me the ring when we got there."

Dave smiled. "This is so great. I'm so happy for Mel. She was so discouraged before. And once she met Gregory, it all changed. I knew it was only a matter of time."

Sebastian squeezed his hand. "I can't wait to gather our babies in my arms."

"Me neither. I bet they'll be asleep."

"Probably. But we have all weekend to be with them, so we'll make up for it."

* * *

"Dada!" Katherine exclaimed from her position beside the couch.

"Katie!" Dave and Sebastian exclaimed at once.

She walked toward them holding on, but then let go and took several steps. When she realized it, she dropped down onto the floor and crawled toward them.

Sebastian scooped her up. "I'm so proud of you, baby girl." He kissed her cheek.

Emily came over with Jimi on her shoulder. "She refused to sleep. We almost had her there a few times, but she woke herself up. She kept saying, 'Dada?' Didn't you?" She grinned. "This one, though, played hard. As soon as I put him down, he was out."

Dave took their son. "We want to have Tabby over for a weekend. We haven't spent a lot of time with her for a while. So whenever she's not busy with something and it's okay with you and John, we'd love to have her over."

"Sure thing. We'll talk about it. I bet she'd move in with you if we would all allow it." Emily kissed each of the babies and then stepped back. "I'll see you all later."

"Goodbye, Em." Dave kissed her cheek. "Take care of yourself."

"I'll do my best." She kissed Sebastian. "Have a good weekend."

"You too." Sebastian said.

Katherine was asleep when Sebastian sat her in her seat. She smiled slightly and her daddy kissed her cheek. She was starting to lose all the baby fat and was quickly becoming a little lanky. Jimi was the same. He could see where Dave would be concerned for their future.

He climbed into the driver's seat. "Okay, let's do it."

"Do what, babe?" Dave asked.

"The testing. I want to actually do it and not say we'll do it. I want to know for their sake."

He nodded and squeezed Sebastian's hand. "Okay. I'll make an appointment next week."

"And I'd like to adopt. But I still want to wait a year before we look into it."

Dave chuckled. "Okay."

"They still have so far to go with all the firsts. And I'd like to have them firmly out of diapers before we have to start again."

"Totally agree, babe."


	24. Chapter 24

_Author's note: Sorry this has taken so long. I've got the plans for the last few chapters. I promise to try to work on getting it done because I know it's about time._

_Happy reading!_

Chapter Twenty-Four

"I have the envelope." Sebastian walked into the house.

"What envelope?" Dave wiped Katherine's mouth.

"The results. Want to see?"

He nodded and moved over to Jimi. "Help me get them ready for their bath first."

They bathed their babies and then sat down with them in the living room floor.

"Here, take Jimi's." Sebastian said. "And I'll open Katherine's."

"Are we doing this at the same time or what?"

Jimi reached forward and grabbed at the letter Dave held.

"I think Jimi wants to know first."

"Well, he _is_ the older of the two."

"He'll get a lot of things first. Let's do Katie's."

Sebastian nodded and opened the letter with shaky hands. He read silently for a while. He read it over and over. "I'm the biological father."

Dave nodded and opened the other letter. "Well, this one isn't a big shock to me. You're his too."

"Are you okay with that?" Sebastian asked softly, wrapping an arm around his husband's waist.

He looked at each of their children. "Yes." He locked eyes with Sebastian. "But I'm scared to death."

"Of what?"

Dave put his hand on the back of his husband's head. "It makes…your past…your father and grandfather…"

Sebastian cut him off with a kiss. "My dad and grandpa were both pretty ignorant of their health. I go to the doctor regularly. I eat right and I exercise. And I keep it all up for them. For you. I love you guys. I want to be here for you as long as you want me."

"I want you when you're old and arthritic and forgetful." Tears suddenly clogged his throat. "I want you as long as _you_ want _me_."

"I meant everything I promised on our wedding day, baby. Everything." He kissed Dave again.

Katherine let out a frustrated sound at being squeezed so tightly. The pair moved apart.

Sebastian picked her up and looked into her face. "I always kind of saw my mother around her eyes."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah. We could try again. You could be the sole donor."

"No. I want another, but I want to adopt. There's no need to go to all the trouble of finding an egg donor and a surrogate. But let's wait. Another year. Let them grow up a bit more. And not fuss so much about adopting a baby. Everyone wants a baby."

"Are you absolutely sure?"

Dave kissed him. "I am. Now, come on, we have to finish getting this house in order." He kissed Jimi.

"Dada." Katherine said, squirming out of Sebastian's grasp and over to Dave. "Jim."

"No!" Jimi said, moving away.

"Hey, now. You two be nice." Sebastian warned.

Jimi got up and toddled away to his toys. Katherine followed and climbed onto the rocking horse. Jimi walked over and tried to pull her away, squealing, "No!"

Sebastian pulled the other rocking horse forward and sat his son on it. "You both have one for a reason."

"Dada!" Jimi exclaimed with a smile.

"You're welcome." He kissed the top of each the twins on the head. "And now we have to get the grill fired up."

The men worked to get the last-minute things together. Dave ran out to get the cakes: one big one for everyone and a small one for each of the babies. By the time he got back to the house, there were already a few guests milling around.

Katherine dropped the toy she was playing with when she saw him and exclaimed, "Dada!" She pulled herself up on his pant leg and reached up a hand. "Up!"

"Just a minute, sweetheart." He held onto her hand and guided her to the table where all the food was accumulating.

"Aren't those going to melt?" Sebastian asked, placing a plate of hamburgers down.

"They'll be fine. It's not that hot out here."

"Baby, if they're ruined—"

Dave cut him off with a kiss. "They're one. They don't care. You shouldn't either."

Someone gave a wolf whistle.

Mel yelled, "You have company."

Dave waved them all off and picked Katherine up. "Let's go see what the other kids are doing, Katie-bug." He carried her across the small lawn to the other children and sat down with her to play.

"Dad!" Jimi said happily when he saw Dave.

"Yeah, Dad." He pulled the boy onto his lap and kissed his head. "I love you both so much. Do you know that?"

Sebastian leaned down and whispered into his ear, "If you don't stop that."

"What are you going to do to me?" Dave challenged.

The babies laughed at their fathers. Katherine noticed someone over Dave's shoulder and made a happy sound. She stood and started toddling away.

Sebastian turned and found Emily making her way toward them.

"Katherine!" She scooped the baby into her arms and kissed her. "Happy birthday, pretty girl."

She rested her head on the woman's chest and sighed.

Jimi toddled over and said something that sounded like "Em" and held his arms up to her.

"And there's our handsome little Jimi." She put Katherine down and lifted Jimi up. "Happy birthday to you too." She kissed him. She kneeled down and pulled the girl to her. "I can't believe it's been a year since you two were born. You were so tiny." She kissed them both.

"They're growing like weeds." Sebastian said.

"And getting into everything?" She asked.

"Of course."

They left the children in the area blocked off by a small fence Sebastian and Dave had constructed to keep all the small children from running free and went about mingling close by. They invited everyone to eat. Sebastian grilled a few more burgers and hot dogs while Dave sat with their children and helped them eat.

After everyone ate their fill, Sebastian got everyone's attention. "Dave and I appreciate all of you coming to spend the day with us and our kids and each other. In a minute, we're going to strap the kids into their high chairs and let everyone gawk at them as they cover themselves in chocolate cake. Please take plenty of pictures so we can embarrass them when they are teenagers."

Everyone laughed.

"Again, thank you for coming. Thank you for the presents. And enjoy the show." He smiled proudly as he handed Jimi and Katherine each a small cake.

Pictures were snapped as the babies attacked their cakes. There was lots of laughter.

Katherine reached over and touched her brother's face. He got angry and screamed at her. She screamed back and then touched him again and laughed.

The rest of the group also ate cake at this time. All the children were covered in frosting. Dave turned on the sprinkler at the far end of the yard and their parents let them all loose. A few of the adults even ran through the water.

The party slowly started to break off with parents carrying away their protesting and dripping children. Everyone agreed it was a success.

Gregory and Mel were the last to leave. They helped clean up and then sat with Dave and Sebastian as they each rocked an exhausted child in their arms.

"We didn't get a lot of time to talk to you." Dave said. "How are the preliminary wedding plans?"

"We're still discussing the guest list. But we have the rest of the wedding party figured out." Mel said. "And we're narrowing down a date. We're thinking July. And we'd also like the twins to be part of it; Jimi as ring bearer and Katherine as the flower girl."

Sebastian smiled proudly. "That's a great honor. Isn't it, Jim-bo?" He kissed the boy who smiled up at him.

"Dada."

"My sweet boy." He combed his fingers through his son's hair. "A year old."

"And this time next year…" Gregory smiled and squeezed Mel's hand.

Dave smiled, "Gonna make me an uncle?"

His friend smiled. "We want to start pretty soon. See what happens. We want a big family. We're not the kind to shrink away from the prospect." She looked between the men holding their babies. "I've been jealous of you and your babies from the start. This one took a bit of convincing. But after we get the wedding over with, we're gonna, you know…" She blushed and pressed her face into Gregory's shoulder. "It always made me uncomfortable when other people talked about _trying_ to get pregnant. And here I am doing it."

Dave laughed. "I know what you look like naked, that _is_ kind of awkward."

"David." Sebastian scolded around his laughter.

Mel responded, "He took one look and said, 'Nice boobs.' and then walked out of the room."

"Well, you do have a nice rack, Miss Melly." Sebastian pointed out.

Gregory nodded. "They are pretty nice."

Mel looked down and then beamed at the room. "Thanks guys."

"We should get going." Gregory said.

"Yeah, we need to let you have your house back."

"Mel." Katherine said as she stood.

"You are going to be the talker, aren't you?" She gathered up the baby in her arms and kissed her small face. "I love you, sweet girl."

"They should sleep well tonight." Gregory commented with a wink. "Give your daddies a break."

"Hopefully. We'll all sleep like rocks tonight." Sebastian walked to the door with them. "I'm too exhausted for anything else."

They laughed at the joke. The others left and Dave and Sebastian were left alone with the twins.

"I think early to bed for all of us?" Sebastian asked as he walked with Jimi to the room the twins shared. He kissed the boy and sat him in his crib. "Good night, baby."

Dave placed Katherine in her crib across the room. He took Sebastian's hand and led him out of the room. "It's small in there."

"We can put one of them in the guest room eventually."

"What about when we adopt? The house won't be big enough for three kids."

"We can start looking for a new house. But you're going to be on the road a lot these next few months. I won't do it on my own."

"You won't have to. I'm here with you and with them, even if I'm not physically here. I made you that promise already, babe."

Sebastian pulled him close. "Okay. We'll start next week."

"Good." Dave slipped his hands down his husband's back. They came to rest on his bottom. "Are you sure you're too tired to do anything else?"

Sebastian growled and pressed a kiss to the other man's neck. "Maybe you should get your ass in that bed."

Dave squeezed his ass and then hurried down the hall. He took his shirt off and threw it behind him as he ducked into their bedroom.


	25. Chapter 25

_Author's note: We're cruising right on through towards the end. I don't know exactly how close, but almost there. Thank you for sticking with me through this._

_Happy reading!_

Chapter Twenty-Five

"Me pretty, Dad?" Katherine asked as Dave pulled down the skirt of her dress.

"You are beautiful, Katie." He kissed her cheek and stood.

"Mel pretty, too." She said, looking up at the woman across the room.

Mel turned and grinned. "Thank you, Katherine. Do you like your dress?"

She nodded. "You's too."

"Yours." Dave corrected. Not that it mattered much. She was just a couple months shy of two and he was surprised she talked as much as she did.

"Want Jimi." She said, looking up at her father.

"We'll see Jimi soon, sweetie. The ceremony's about to start."

"Daddy?"

"Him too."

She sat down on the floor and crossed her arms. "Daddy." She said adamantly.

Dave took out his phone and dialed. "Your daughter wants to talk to you."

Sebastian chuckled. "Okay, put her on."

"Here, Katie." He handed over the phone and pulled her onto his lap.

"Daddy?"

"Hi, Katie-bug."

"Love, Daddy."

"I love you, too, my sweet girl."

"Me pretty, Daddy!" She announced.

"I bet you are. I can't wait to see you."

Dave said, "Tell Daddy bye."

"Bye-bye, Daddy!"

He took the phone back. "How's Jimi doing over there?"

"Good. We've been playing. Want to talk to him?"

"Yes."

"Here, Jimi, Dad wants to talk to you."

"Dad!" The boy exclaimed.

"Jimi! Are you having fun?"

There was silence and then Sebastian said, "He can't hear your head nodding, buddy."

"Yes. Fun!" Jimi said into the phone.

Dave laughed. "Good. I'm glad."

"Yes."

"I love you, Jimi. And I can't wait to see how handsome you are."

"Yes, Dad." He was definitely the less talkative of the two. "Bye now!"

"Bye, sweetie." But the line was dead. He went to put the phone back in his pocket when it buzzed with a text from Sebastian.

"_See you in a few, baby._"

"_Not soon enough._" He turned off his phone. "So, what's left?"

"Lining up." Mel said with a smile.

Emily picked up the basket of flower petals from a chair in the corner. "Do you remember what to do with these, Katie?" She asked as she handed the basket to the girl.

She nodded.

"Good. You go in with Jimi after your Daddies walk in together. Right before Aunt Mel, okay?"

She nodded again.

"Okay." She stood.

"I'll go see if they're ready." Dave said, stepping out.

Katherine started after him. "Dad?"

"Stay with me, pumpkin." Emily said as she took hold of the girl's free hand.

Dave quickly returned. "All ready."

Mel let out a nervous breath. "Here goes nothing."

Katherine and Jimi both fidgeted as they stood outside the doors. Dave leaned down and straightened Jimi's tie.

"It's ridiculous how much they look like you these days." Dave said to his husband as he stood.

"It's frightening." Sebastian agreed.

They took their spots behind the Emily and a relative of Gregory's that served as a groomsman. Sebastian slipped a hand into Dave's.

"No, Kate!" Jimi said loudly.

They turned to see Katherine trying to hold onto her brother's hand.

"Katie, you need to be able to drop the flowers." Sebastian explained.

"Daddies hands." She pointed.

He smiled. "But not you, sweetie. Katie flowers."

"Jimi rings!" The boy announced, holding up the pillow.

"That's right."

Mel said, "Sebastian, Dave, your turn."

They looked up to see Emily and her escort were quite a way up the aisle and started walking.

"Remember to drop the flowers, Katie." They heard Mel say.

"I don't like all this pomp and circumstance." Dave mumbled. "I'm glad we did what we did."

"Me too, baby." He looked over his shoulder. "I want plenty of pictures of that."

Dave smiled. He kissed Sebastian's hand before they parted and then watched their children with pride. Katherine was all but skipping as she happily dropped the flower petals on the ground. Jimi walked along beside her, his face in deep concentration as he tried to keep the ring pillow up.

"Daddy, shoes." He said, lifting up his foot when he was almost to the front to reveal his shoe had come untied.

The guests laughed.

Sebastian chuckled and waved him forward. He quickly tied his son's shoe. Katherine looked into her basket to see she still had several petals and turned the basket over before running up and grabbing Dave's hand.

The music changed and all eyes turned to the back of the room. The doors opened and there stood Mel in all her glory. Gregory let out a soft gasp and beamed in pride as he watched her make her way to him.

Katherine danced from one foot to the other during the ceremony.

The preacher asked for the rings. Jimi said, "Rings!" He held the pillow up high.

"Thanks, Jimi." Gregory said as he took them off and placed them on the preacher's Bible.

Dave sniffed and Katherine looked up to him. He smiled and squeezed her hand as he wiped his cheeks with the other. She turned her face back to the couple as they shared their first kiss.

Katherine giggled and Jimi made a gagging sound. Everyone else cheered. The couple walked down the aisle as the noise continued. Dave and Sebastian each picked up a child and followed holding hands.

There were pictures after that. Dave was surprised both the twins stood still for each of the shots they were in.

At the reception, Jimi quickly shrugged out of his coat. He pulled at his tie and begged, "Dad, off!"

Dave loosened the tie, but left it on.

"No! Off!" He demanded.

Dave sighed. "Don't be so demanding." He removed the tie. "Just like Daddy."

Jimi smiled. "Daddy!" He looked around and held up his hands. "Daddy?"

"Here, my boy." Sebastian said. "With food for you and Katie." He looked around. "Where's Katie?"

"She's with Tabby." He looked around and pointed across the room.

"Who might try to get her another plate of food. I'll get her."

"Wait." Dave grabbed his arm as he tried to walk away.

"What?" He asked, looking his husband up and down.

Dave smirked and pressed a kiss to his lips.

Sebastian cupped his cheek. He kissed him again and then moved away.

Later when the dancing started, Katherine was in the middle of it. Jimi sat on Dave's lap and refused to get up.

Sebastian wrapped an arm around Dave's waist. "Come dance with me?"

"Jimi is being clingy."

"He can dance with us. What do you say, buddy?"

The boy smiled and nodded.

"So dance with me, baby." He stood and tugged on Dave's arm. "Both of you."

Jimi continued to hold onto Dave's neck as Sebastian wrapped his arms around them both. They swayed to the music.

Katherine ran over and tugged on his pants. "Daddy, me."

Sebastian lifted her up and held her close between them until the song ended. The next one was a fast one. He stepped back and put her on the ground. He spun her around and around. She shook her little body all over the place, laughing happily.

"Are you having fun?" He asked, scooping her up into his arms once more.

She nodded. "Fun, Daddy."

"Me too." He kissed her. "You should dance with Dad for a while. Let me dance with Jimi."

Katherine turned and reached out her arms to Dave. "Dad!"

"Baby switch!" Sebastian announced. He took Jimi, who was starting to look even more exhausted from the day's activities.

He rested his head on Sebastian's shoulder. "Tired, Daddy."

"Yeah? Well, come over here. There's a bench with your name on it, buddy." He put the boy down. He shrugged off his coat and laid it over him. He kissed Jimi's temple. "You sleep as long as you need."

"Love you." He said before he closed his eyes.

"I love you, my sweet boy." Sebastian combed his fingers through the boy's hair for several minutes. He watched the room

Dave and Katherine both made the rounds of the dance floor. It was getting late and they really should get the kids home and into bed. But today was a special day. They could stay out a little longer.

"He didn't make it." Mel said from beside him.

Sebastian looked up and grinned. "Nope. I'm about dead on my feet myself."

"You have one more dance in you? Because you haven't danced with me yet. And I'm the bride, so I should dance with whoever I want."

He chuckled. "True." He stood and held out his hand. "May I have this dance, Miss Melly?"

She smiled. She spoke with a horrible Southern accent, "Why, Mr. Karofsky-Smythe, I thought you'd never ask."

He laughed and walked with her out onto the dance floor as a song started playing. He laughed. "I love this song." He sang along.

_I've had a little bit too much, much  
All of the people start to rush.  
Start to rush by.  
A dizzy twister dance  
Can't find my drink or man.  
Where are my keys, I lost my phone._

Mel laughed and sang the rest of the song with him. Dave and Gregory joined them.

As the four danced together, Katherine ran over and tugged on Gregory's pant leg. "Dance?"

He picked her up and swung her in a circle. "You are so cute, Katie!"

She smiled and rested her head on his shoulder. When the song was over, Gregory looked down to find the little girl asleep. He tapped Sebastian's shoulder. "What do you want to do about her?"

"Aw, baby girl." He lifted her out of his arms. "I hate to poop the party, but we should probably get these two home."

"Don't worry about it. They deserve their beds." Mel kissed Katherine's temple.

She opened her eyes a little and smiled. "Mel."

"I'll get our stuff." Sebastian rubbed his daughter's back and then passed her to Dave. "Just hang with them."

Dave grinned. "Such a hardship."

"Yeah, I'm sure." He squeezed Dave's shoulder and then walked away. He stopped a few times along the way to speak to people.

"Thank you for today." Mel said, wrapping an arm around Dave's waist. "You're a great friend."

"You too, Mel. We've all had a lot of fun today." He smirked and leaned close. "You should get out of here soon so you're not too tired for boring married sex."

"Isn't that the point of being married?" She asked. "Being so tired that you either just do it and get it over with or don't do it at all?"

Dave laughed. "It's not a giant change after as before. It's just sanctioned by a sheet of paper."

"I'm very happy for that sheet of paper." Gregory said, pulling Mel to him and kissing her hard on the mouth.

She laughed, "Me too."

The party was slowly starting to break up by the time Sebastian came back. "I pulled the car closer." He picked Jimi up and gathered their coats. "Ready when you are, baby."

"I'm ready. I need to put her down." He kissed Mel's cheek. "Have fun this week. Don't stay in the hotel the whole time."

"We won't."

"We'll try." Gregory contributed. "Drive careful. And give those kids extra kisses for us every night until we're back."

"We'll do that." After one more farewell, they finally left.

The twins slept the entire way home and through getting changed into their pajamas. Dave and Sebastian climbed into their bed and were out before their heads hit the pillow.

They were awakened a short time later by a pair of voices by the bed. "Dad?" one said. The other whispered, "Daddy." and poked Sebastian's shoulder.

"Climb on up." Dave said as he moved away from his husband enough to let them in between.

Katherine curled herself into a little ball against Sebastian's chest. He wrapped his arms around her and squeezed her gently.

Jimi, on the other hand, laid flat on his back and his limbs spread out. Dave whispered, "You're taking up all the room, Jimi."

He looked at his father a moment and then rolled closer to Katherine. Dave closed the rest of the space and stretched an arm out over all three of them as they all drifted back to sleep.


	26. Chapter 26

_Author's note: A lot of big changes are about to come to the Karofsky-Smythes. Until then, enjoy this chapter of adorableness!_

_Happy reading!_

Chapter Twenty-Six

Dave watched from the back step as Sebastian chased their children through the sprinklers. The children squealed. Sebastian reached out for them and caught them up one at a time, tickling a stomach here and pretending to gnaw at a cheek there. He twirled Katherine around in a circle as she screamed out her joy. He turned and saw his husband watching. He smiled and made his way over.

"I didn't realize what time it was." He panted.

Dave pushed the wet hair out of Sebastian's face and pressed a kiss to his lips. "I got in a little early. I missed you."

"I missed you, too."

"Dad!" Katherine squealed and ran toward him.

"Katherine!" He scooped her up and kissed her dripping cheek. "Have you been having fun with Daddy?"

She nodded.

Jimi tugged his pant leg and held up his arms. Dave leaned down and scooped the boy, just as soaked as the other child, into his arms. "Jimi."

"Miss you." He said seriously.

"Well, I'm back. For a while, at least." He kissed each of his children and then kissed his husband again.

"I was about to fire up the grill. What do you say?"

"I say you do that and…" he looked from one kid to the next and then ran toward the sprinkler.

The twins squealed as he spun them around through the water. He laughed and put them down, chasing them as Sebastian had been when he arrived.

* * *

Sebastian rolled away from Dave with a satisfied sigh. "I didn't realize just how much I missed you."

Dave laughed. "Someone else's hand is a lot better than your own."

"It's true." Sebastian joined in the laughter and kissed his shoulder. He got out of bed and cleaned off his stomach with a discarded shirt before he found his underwear on the floor.

"Don't do that yet." Dave begged.

"The twins have climbed into bed with me every night. I don't think tonight will be any different."

"If they get out of bed, we bring them back. I like having them with us, but not when I've been away for two weeks. I want you. _Just_ you." He reached out and hooked a finger in the waistband of his husband's underwear and pulled him forward. "Get those off and get back in bed with me."

Just then, the door knob started rattling. Katherine called tearfully, "Daddy, scared."

Sebastian gently pushed Dave's hand away. "Clean yourself up, baby." He unlocked the door, opening it when the other man gave him an all-clear.

Both children stood on the other side. Katherine clutched her blanket to her chest and Jimi had a stuffed dog under one arm.

The boy looked up. "Sleep here?"

Sebastian looked over his shoulder. Dave nodded, smiling despite his earlier protest. Sebastian stepped back and held the door open for them. They ran over and jumped at the bed.

"Me by Dad." Katherine said as she made her way up.

"No, me!" Jimi argued, struggling up first. He clutched Dave's arm and sighed, "Dad."

Dave chuckled and kissed his son's head. "Jimi." He said softly.

Katherine started crying, wiping her nose on her blanket.

"Sh." Sebastian reassured her. "Dad will still be here in the morning. And he doesn't have to work tomorrow, so we've got all day with him."

She sniffled and curled into Sebastian's side. She instantly went back to sleep.

"Sorry, baby." He said as he looked across the twin dark heads to Dave on the other side of the mattress.

Dave shook his head. "Cuddling with our kids is a nice alternative to cuddling with you."

"Yeah. But not the same."

"So we let them sleep here for a little longer and then carry them back to their own beds. Then get back to what we were working on before."

Sebastian grinned. "Sure. Let's do that."

Dave combed his fingers through Jimi's hair. He snored softly, his soft breath falling on his father's cheek. A few minutes later, Dave rolled out of the bed and scooped Jimi into his arms. He carried the boy into his room, closely followed by Sebastian carrying Katherine. They tucked their children to bed once more and then left the room, pausing just outside the door to share a kiss.

Dave hefted Sebastian over his shoulder. The other man laughed and grabbed at his husband's waist.

He slapped Dave's bottom. "Onward."

Dave chuckled and made his way into their bedroom. He kicked the door closed and threw Sebastian back down on the bed.

"That was so hot." He grabbed Dave's hand and pulled the other man on top of him.

Dave braced his hands on either side of Sebastian's head. "You know what's hot? Watching you play with our kids. That's hot. And I love you. So much." He leaned down and pressed a kiss to his husband's mouth.

"Me too, baby." Sebastian said as he wrapped his arms around the other man and flipped him onto his back. He took over the kiss, sliding his hands over Dave's torso. He took the other man's lower lip into his mouth and sucked hard on it.

Dave groaned and pressed himself up as he clutched at Sebastian. "More." he begged.

Sebastian chuckled against Dave's skin as he dropped feather-light kisses down his neck. He clamped his mouth down on Dave's shoulder and sucked hard on the spot that he knew drove his husband crazy.

Dave writhed underneath him and moaned through clenched teeth. He scraped his nails up Sebastian's back. The other man removed his mouth and moved it lower and lower on Dave's body.

"I really love how you taste." He said, licking Dave's length from base to tip.

"I don't want that this time." He panted.

"And what do you want, baby?" Sebastian crooned, continuing to do some amazing things with his tongue over Dave's shaft.

"You know what I want." Dave groaned.

"Say it."

"Let me be in you, Sebastian." He begged.

He chuckled. "Anything for you, baby." He flicked his tongue out and licked a trail back up Dave's body. He took control of the other man's mouth as he fumbled in the drawer. He produced a bottle of lube.

Dave took it from him. "Let me." He kissed Sebastian as he slicked up his fingers and slipped one inside.

Sebastian pressed down. "Another." He demanded with Dave's lip between his teeth.

He complied. He squirted some of the bottle's contents onto Sebastian's open hand. He moaned and moved with his husband's touch.

"Now." Sebastian demanded.

"Now?"

"Yes." He rolled onto his back, pulling Dave on top of him.

Their mouths locked together as Dave slipped inside Sebastian. They were still for a moment, their mouths the only part of them that moved.

After a minute, Dave pushed himself up and grabbed Sebastian's thighs. He thrust with enthusiasm. Sebastian braced his hands against the headboard. It banged against the wall. Dave tugged him away.

"You'll wake the kids." He panted.

"_I_ will?" Sebastian chuckled.

Dave smiled and leaned over him, slowing his pace slightly. "At least you finally learned how to be quiet."

"I'm not the only one." He flipped Dave onto his back. "My turn."

Dave rubbed his thighs. "Have at it."

Sebastian took over, going just as fast his husband had been moving before. The springs squeaked, but at least it wasn't as loud as the headboard smashing against the wall.

"Have I said how much I missed you?" Dave panted as he thrust up into him.

"You mentioned it." Sebastian barely managed to say. He let out a low groan.

Dave grabbed his hips and held him still. "Hold on." He wrapped a hand over Sebastian's erection and pumped his fist over it.

"David, you do such great things to me." Sebastian whispered.

"You too, baby." He bucked underneath him. "Get going."

Their voices blended together through clenched teeth. Dave moaned loudly as he came. Sebastian stilled over him. His husband continued to move his hand over Sebastian's length for just a few more strokes. He leaned over the other man as he met his climax, locking eyes with him.

They kissed lazily.

"I think I need a shower." Dave said against his mouth.

"That could be nice."

"A regular shower. And then back in bed with your arms wrapped around me."

"That sounds even better."

* * *

Sebastian rolled out of bed and looked down on his sleeping husband. He brushed a hand over Dave's cheek. He mumbled something Sebastian didn't catch and rolled away.

Straightening up, he pulled on a shirt and walked out of the room. He closed the door softly behind him and then walked into the twins' room. He found that Jimi had climbed in with his sister in the night. Sebastian kneeled beside the bed and kissed each of them on the head.

Katherine opened her eyes and smiled. "Daddy."

"Hey, sweetheart. You want to help me with something?"

She nodded and sat up. The movement woke her brother who looked around with a disgruntled gaze.

"Want Dad." He said in a raspy, sleep-filled voice.

"You can go get Dad. He's still asleep. Katherine and I are going to make him breakfast."

"Me help?" He asked.

"If you want."

Jimi nodded.

"Come on, let's go." He led both of them out of the room.

In the kitchen, Sebastian gathered the ingredients for pancakes and sat them on the table. The twins each climbed up on a chair and watched him expectantly. As they mixed the batter and flour, it flew everywhere. They laughed and made a lot of happy noise despite Sebastian constantly shushing them.

Dave appeared in the doorway. "Hey, what's going on? Is it a party and no one told me?"

"Dad!" The twins exclaimed in unison and scrambled out of their chairs. They threw themselves at him, attacking him around the knees.

He laughed and scooped them up. "You're covered in pancake batter."

"Bre-fast." Jimi explained.

"You're making breakfast with Daddy?"

"Pancakes!" Katherine bellowed.

Dave laughed. "I love pancakes."

"And sausage and scrambled eggs." Sebastian added. "It was all going to be delivered to you in bed, but these two don't yet understand the concept of being quiet in the morning."

His husband smiled and pressed a kiss to his mouth. "Well, now that I'm awake, want me to help?"

"Well, your sausage _is_ my favorite."

Dave scolded, "Don't say things like that with the kids in the room."

Sebastian chuckled. "I was talking about how you always fry the sausage perfectly. But now that you mention it…" He brushed a kiss across his husband's lips.

Dave rested his forehead on Sebastian's. "I'm all yours. Completely."

"Same here, baby."

"All right." He put the twins down and then headed toward the fridge.

Jimi attached himself to Dave's side as he cooked. He babbled, sometimes seeming to have a conversation with his sister that neither father understood, but was obviously hilarious.

The twins got food all over themselves and the kitchen. Sebastian took pictures. Dave shook his head and got their bath ready.


	27. Chapter 27

_Author's note: We are so close to the end, y'all! Just two more chapters after this. Thank you for sticking with us._

_Happy reading!_

Chapter Twenty-Seven

Dave was just settling into work when Amy nervously appeared in his doorway. He waved her in and closed the door behind her. He sat her down on the couch and she immediately broke down into tears.

"I didn't know where else to go." She sobbed.

"It's fine. I don't have anything more important than this right now." He patted her back as she cried on his shoulder.

Over the years, the two had become good work friends. And they even met away from the office for drinks and to blow off some steam. After some coaxing, Amy's story started to unfold. It seemed she and her boyfriend had been just going through the motions of their relationship for a long time. She had discovered that she was pregnant. And when she told him, he claimed she had been cheating and refused to acknowledge the baby was his.

"And then he said we were through. He packed up all his things and left." She wiped her eyes. "I'm not the type to be a single parent. Some women can and I commend them for it, but I can't do this without help. And he won't give it. I don't know what to do."

"You have a lot of options. Adoption, abortion—"

"Not abortion. I may not have the ability to take care of the baby myself, but I won't just end it without giving someone else the chance." She looked at him. "You and Sebastian were thinking of adopting, right?"

"Not for a while longer."

She swallowed. "Talk about it with your husband."

"You need to be sure first."

She nodded. "Yes."

He rubbed her back. "I just don't want any of us to have our hearts broken."

She nodded again and stood. "I need to get back to work."

"I'm sure if you asked for the day—"

"No, I need to be doing something." She left with a small wave.

Dave went back to work with the conversation still going over and over in his head.

He picked the twins up from the daycare and headed home, stopping off for fast food on the way. He beat Sebastian home by just a few minutes.

Jimi ran to him, screaming, "Daddy home!"

"Daddy _is_ home!" he scooped the boy into his arms and kissed his face as he laughed.

"Daddy." He sighed, resting his head on Sebastian's chest.

Katherine reached up to him as he walked into the kitchen. "Dad cook take-out."

"Dad picked up take-out." Dave corrected. He brushed a kiss across Sebastian's lips. "I was getting it ready for these two. They act like they're starving."

"Oh, surely not." He looked between each of the kids in his arms. "You do look like you're wasting away." He kissed each of them and then put them down on the floor. "Let's get you two in your chairs."

"Me first, Daddy!" Katherine squealed as she ran for her normal chair.

"No! Me!" Jimi screamed.

Dave picked Jimi up as Sebastian strapped Katherine in. He smiled up proudly at his father. "Love you, Dad."

Dave kissed him. "I love you, Jimi."

"Love you, Dad, too." Katherine whined.

"And I love you, Katherine." He walked around the table and kissed his daughter.

The men had the normal conversation recounting their day in all its mundane glory. Dave waited until after they had the twins asleep to mention his conversation with Amy.

"She's still so torn up. I didn't take her suggestion seriously. But it would be kind of cool, I guess." Dave said, combing his fingers through Sebastian's hair.

"Do you think she's the kind of woman to go back on her word?"

"I don't know."

"If it did happen, I would be willing to try for a very open adoption. She can come visit when she wants and take a part in the baby's life. All this as long as she doesn't play games with us or the baby."

Dave nodded. "I agree." He kissed Sebastian's forehead. "We need to find the perfect house. And hope to actually get our offer taken. Not be out-bid."

"We'll get our house with all the things we need. We'll find it this week. I can feel it, baby." Sebastian kissed him.

They did find a house just a few days later. It was the perfect size: four bedrooms, two and a half baths, an office, a "bonus room" that Dave claimed for his home office, and a large back yard already enclosed with a privacy fence. There was even an apartment above the two-car garage that would be perfect for out-of-town guests.

Closing took shorter than they thought it would and they were able to move in just a few weeks after signing all the papers, just in time to get the house ready for the twins' third birthday.

The first step they took was installing gates at the top and bottom of the stairs. When they had come to look at the house, Jimi became fascinated with them and climbed up and down almost the entire time they stood speaking with the realtor.

"Mine room?" Jimi asked when Sebastian and Dave sat him down in his bedroom.

"All yours, son." Dave said. "Daddy and I are right across the hall. And Katie's room is next door. Let's go see."

They all walked into the next room. Katherine ran towards her bed and jumped on it. "My room!" She squealed.

"Yes, sweetheart. Yours." Dave said.

Sebastian kneeled by the bed. "We can go pick out some paint and paint your rooms this weekend. How does that sound?"

"Sound good!" Jimi exclaimed.

Katherine nodded enthusiastically.

As they worked to unpack and the twins ran through the house, Dave's phone rang. Sebastian watched as he spoke, mostly just saying "Yes." and "Okay."

When he hung up he said, "Amy wants to meet with us and talk. She thinks she wants to give us her baby."

"David..." He smiled. "When?"

"I invited her for dinner tonight. Is that okay?"

"That's perfectly fine." He went back to unpacking. "A new house and possibly a new baby. Life is good."

"Life is very good." Dave agreed, grinning at their children as they ran through the room.

* * *

"I've been thinking about this since I first told you, Dave." Amy explained as they sat down. She dabbed at her eyes. "My ex won't answer my calls or texts. The last thing he told me was that he wouldn't take part in the baby's life."

"You have to be certain." Sebastian said.

"I am. I can't raise a baby on my own." She said adamantly.

"We'll pay your medical bills from now on." Dave told her.

She nodded. "Thank you. The company's insurance is pretty good, though."

"But it won't cover everything." Sebastian supplied. "We'll help you with that. It's what we've always talked about when it came to adopting a baby."

"I don't know how all this works." She admitted.

"My specialty is in family law. I deal a little with adoptions. I'll have a friend of mine draw up the necessary papers. Dave and I both can help explain things. And you can bring it to another lawyer to look over and make sure it all seems fair."

"I trust you both. We all want the best for this baby."

"We want you to be part of its life."

She looked between the pair and then across the room to where the twins were playing quietly for once. "I can't. I'm going back home the Missouri. Going back to school."

"We can still send you updates and things. And if you're ever back this way…"

She nodded. "Thank you. I'd appreciate knowing he or she is safe."

"So you don't know yet?" Dave asked.

"No. I haven't decided to figure it out. I didn't want to get…attached." She started crying again. Dave wrapped an arm around her.

Katherine watched her a moment and then walked over. She patted Amy's leg. "You sad, Amy?"

"A little, Katherine." She admitted tearfully.

"Can I hug you?"

She grinned and held out her arms.

Katherine climbed up on her lap and kissed her cheek.

"There's nothing like love from a pretty little girl." Amy commented and she held the girl close.

"I want hugs, too." Jimi said as he ran across the room. He launched himself at the woman and kissed her other cheek loudly.

"And love from a very sweet boy. My day has just been made better." She kissed each of them. "I should be going."

"No rush." Sebastian assured her.

"Yeah, you need to get these two in bed." She put the twins on the floor as she stood. "Are you sure?"

Dave squeezed his husband's hand. "We are if you are."

She nodded and let out a long sigh. "Yeah, I am."

They all shared one more hug at the door and then Amy left.

"Bath time." Dave said.

Jimi squealed happily and ran toward the stairs, tugging on the gate until Sebastian opened it.

Katherine screamed, "No, I wanna play!" and ran back toward the living room.

Dave scooped up the girl and kissed her. "Bath and then bed. We can play more tomorrow."

After their bath, Dave read the twins a story and then Sebastian sang them a song. They separated. Katherine was good about going to sleep on her own after a kiss from her dads. Jimi on the other hand usually needed someone to rub his back for a little while before he was able to fall asleep.

Dave met Sebastian in the kitchen after getting Jimi settled. He was once again working on unpacking boxes.

"Are you okay?" Dave asked softly.

Sebastian looked up, his hazel eyes dancing. "I'm amazing, Dave."

"And we're ready for this?" He took a step closer.

"We've gotten a set of twins through three years. I think we can handle one through all of it again." He smirked and wrapped his arms around Dave's waist. "Want to go celebrate?"

Dave smiled. "I wish. We both have work tomorrow. And it's our first night in the new house. The kids might get up."

"We can still make out for a while, can't we?"

"I guess that's an option." He turned out the kitchen light and then walked out of the room.

Sebastian followed, grabbing his hand as they walked up the stairs together.


	28. Chapter 28

_Author's note: Guys, we're almost to the end. It's been fun! Don't worry, I have plans to follow this family in one shots after this. Look out for a very small reference to the Paramore song Still Into You (a favorite of mine from their self-titled album)._

_Happy reading!_

Chapter Twenty-Eight

Amy arrived one evening to have dinner with the Karofsky-Smythes.

As soon as she arrived, Jimi looked up at her and asked, "You having our baby?"

She smiled and sat down on the couch and pulled him and Katherine onto her lap. "I am having a baby. And your daddies are going to adopt it. It will be your brother or sister."

"Where is the baby?" Katherine asked.

She took a hand from each of them and placed it on her stomach. "It grows here in my belly. And in a few months, I'll go to the hospital and a doctor will help get it out."

"Can we come?" The little girl asked.

She smiled and kissed each of them. "That's very much up to your dads."

Dave grinned. "We'll have to see. You two go play and let Amy just relax."

"They're fine." She hugged them both. "Where's your husband?"

"Putting a crib together." Dave said, shaking his head.

"You still have four months." She pointed out.

"Tell him that. He's freaking out about there still not being enough time."

"There's not." Sebastian said, coming down the stairs. He closed the gate behind him and leaned down. He patted Amy's stomach. "How is the little guy today?"

She smiled. "Thankfully not giving me too much trouble. Finally over the morning sickness. Still tired all the time."

"You'll be okay."

She nodded. "I have an appointment tomorrow. Are you coming?"

Dave sighed. "I have meetings all day that I tried to get out of, but couldn't. I'm sorry."

"I can make it." Sebastian assured her. "And I'll bring these guys. I took the whole day off." He ruffled the kids' hair.

"We ordered Indian for supper. Is that okay?" The other man said as his husband moved away from her.

Amy smiled. "We can try. Just because I'm over the morning sickness doesn't mean I don't still get sick with some foods."

"We have plenty for back-up. Jimi doesn't care for Indian. I'm making him a pizza. Katie might eat some of it too. But how much can two little kids eat?" He chuckled.

"I eat all of it myself." Jimi announced.

"I'm sure you will, baby." Dave grinned at his son.

The doorbell rang and the twins ran for it, arguing over who would open it. Sebastian followed them, taking his wallet out of his pocket. The young man on the other side of the door smiled kindly at the children as he indulgently handed each of them a bag of food and then took the payment from their father.

"Have a good night." He said as he watched the kids run away with the food.

"Thanks. You too." Sebastian closed the door and ran after the kids. "Who else besides me is starving?"

Amy had grown to love these evenings she spent with the family. It was part of the deal, they wanted to see her at least once a week to have a meal with her. Until recently, the twins just thought she was a friend coming to hang out. Dave and Sebastian thought it was finally time, with her increasing belly, to tell the twins about the real reason she was in their lives.

She never stayed long. Sometimes it had just been to hang out for an hour or two. But she had started to stay after supper and then stay later and later as she got to know the kids more. Until this night, she had left before bath and bedtime. But tonight, the twins begged her to stay for bedtime and read their story.

"If your dads don't mind." She said, looking between the men.

Dave shrugged. "Whatever you want."

Sebastian smiled. "You're always welcome."

So she stayed, sitting awkwardly in the living room as the children were bathed. She followed the kids up the stairs as they tugged on her hands.

Dave and Sebastian stood in the doorway to Katherine's room and watched Amy read to their children.

"Do you really think this was a good idea?" Dave mumbled.

"I want to make sure that she's sure." Sebastian answered.

"This may change her mind. And we've told the kids."

"It'll be fine."

"But she could still change her mind. It's in the contract. She can back out at any time during her pregnancy."

She looked up at them a moment, faltering in the reading, and then looked back.

"No more talk about this right now." Sebastian said.

Dave nodded.

Amy finished the book and kissed both children on the head. The men took over from there. She stood awkwardly in the hallway for a moment before she headed down the stairs. She started cleaning up the kitchen.

"Hey, you don't have to do that." Dave said as he walked over to her.

"You're afraid I'm going to change my mind." She said, continuing to clean dishes anyway.

He took over the rinsing. "Yes. And it's fine if you want to. You don't need to feel obligated to us. But we're all excited for the baby. And if you do decide to keep it, I hope you'll at least keep us posted about it."

"This is your baby, Dave." She handed him a plate and leaned against the counter. "I can't take care of this baby. You can. You have all the means and all the love. The love is the part I care about the most. And the twins are so happy about it." A tear fell down her cheek and she wiped at it quickly. "When I signed that contract, this baby was no longer mine."

He nodded. "Thanks. You don't know how much we appreciate this. We'll take care of it. We wanted you to see that. It's part of the reason we wanted you to share our home for a few hours a week. And you're always welcome here."

"Thanks."

Sebastian walked in. "Both sound asleep."

"Good." Dave smiled. He turned to Amy. "We'll finish this later. Want some more dessert?"

She shook her head. "No, thank you. I'll get out of your hair. Not many more quiet nights for you two for a while." She walked toward the living room and gathered her things by the door. "I'll see you, Sebastian, tomorrow afternoon? With the twins?"

"Sure thing." He gave her a quick hug.

"Drive safe." Dave told her as he helped opened the door for her.

She smiled. "Have fun in your meetings." She winked and headed out.

He closed the door and leaned against it. "She's not backing out. She promises."

"Good." Sebastian smiled and cupped his cheeks. "I love you."

"Love you." They shared a kiss. "That show you like is on. With the singing kids. I say we kick back with a beer and cuddle up and watch it."

"Best idea I've heard all day."

"I'll get the beer." Dave hurried off toward the kitchen as Sebastian plopped down on the couch.

Dave returned and pulled his husband against his chest before handing over the bottle in his hand.

Sebastian sighed, "We've been together so long. I should be over this, but I'm not."

Dave chuckled and kissed his temple. "We still fight."

"But I still love when we make up. We still have it in the bedroom and out of it."

"True."

Sebastian sighed. "Are we ready for a new baby?"

"I think so. I wish we could have half a dozen."

"I know. We'll just fill the house with fur babies after this one."

Dave laughed. "I think I can handle that one." He kissed Sebastian again and then settled back to watch the show."

* * *

Sebastian spent a lot of time agonizing over the nursery. Dave told him to just pick a color and design.

"You didn't freak out this much over the twins." He pointed out.

"I don't know what's different this time." He admitted. He picked up a paint swatch. "I think I like this creamy yellow. I don't want to go over-the-top with the pink. I don't like all the pink for girls. And I want music things."

"More Hendrix quotes?" Dave teased.

"Why not?" He grinned. "And I already have one. 'In order to change the world, you have to get your head together first.'" He pressed a kiss to Dave's mouth.

"I like that. And the yellow. I like the yellow. Go get it and we can have a big family painting day this weekend."

"No, Jimi!" Katherine yelled from the room across the hall.

"I had it first, Kate!" He screamed back.

"No, me!"

The men hurried across to the room to find their kids fighting over a toy.

"Don't bite me!" Jimi screamed and pulled his sister's hair.

Katherine screamed and bit down harder on his arm.

The dads pulled them apart and demanded to know what happened. Both children were crying so hard it was difficult to discern the problem. It all boiled down to both of them wanting the same toy. They made the two apologize to each other and then separated them to their rooms.

"Are you sure we can handle them _and_ a baby?" Dave asked.

Sebastian laughed. "We can do it. I have a good feeling."

"I'll just have to take your word for it. I'll start dinner."

"And I guess I can help and stop obsessing about this room and come help you." He laughed.

* * *

"When is the baby going to be here, Dad?" Jimi asked as Dave scrubbed some of the paint off his cheek.

"Just a few more weeks, buddy." His father answered.

"Will Granddad come?"

"He'll be here. He wants to meet your baby sister as much as we do."

"What's her name going to be?" He asked.

"Daddy and I haven't figured that out yet." Dave admitted. "We're still trying to come up with something. What name do you like?"

"Scarlett." He said proudly.

"Did your daddy put you up to that?" He tweaked the boy's nose.

Jimi laughed. "He gave me candy."

"Of course he did." Dave stood. "Finish washing up." He walked out of the bathroom connected to their bedroom and into the one down the hall where Sebastian was seeing about Katherine. "We're not naming our daughter Scarlett." He announced.

"What about Janice?"

"As in Joplin? No. Even if I kind of liked her music, I don't like the name Janice."

"I like Scarlett, Dad." Katherine chimed in.

Dave put his hands on his hips. "I bet you do. You're Daddy's little girl."

She smiled proudly and nodded. "Daddy's the smartest!"

"But Dad's the hottest." Sebastian said. "We'll talk about it more later?"

Jimi came in then, squealing and dripping wet. "I'm naked!" He announced before running away.

Katherine laughed and tried to scramble out of the tub after him. Sebastian grabbed her and wrapped her in a towel as Dave scooped Jimi up.

"Let's get you dressed." He told the boy as he grabbed a towel off the rack.

"And then the movie?" His son asked.

"And then the movie. And I swear, son, if you agree to Gone with the Wind again, I will disown you."

Jimi giggled. "But I like it."

"I know you do. You all do. And I think it's just to annoy me."

"I want to watch My Fair Lady." Katherine announced from her room.

"We're not watching My Fair Lady, doody-head!" Jimi called to his sister. "I want to watch Finding Nemo."

"Me too!" His sister decided. "I wanna be Dory, Daddy." She said as she ran to the gate at the top of the stairs.

"I wanna be a seagull." Jimi said as he joined her. He shook the gate. "Mine! Mine!"

The men laughed. Dave opened the gate and the twins hurried down the stairs.

As they cuddled up and watched the movie, a bowl of popcorn between the twins, Dave filed through all the names he could think of. Their new daughter had to have the perfect name, just like their other children. It didn't have to mean anything, just be a good name.

"Kendal." He said suddenly.

Sebastian looked over, a smile on his lips. "I like it."

"We can figure out the middle name later."

He reached over and combed his fingers through Dave's hair. "Can it be Bailey?"

He smiled. "Of course. I'm sure she'll be honored."

"Kendal Bailey." Sebastian mused. "Perfect."

Dave grabbed his hand and threaded their fingers together. "Now if she would only get here already."


	29. Epilogue

_Author's note: This is the end of this particular story, but not these characters. My bestie Lacey (actresswithoutastage) and I have discussed many different scenarios for one shots. And I have a couple written._

_Thank you to my dear best friend Lacey for helping with all this! And thank you, my fantastic readers, for sticking with it to this point. I hope you have enjoyed this. Please feel free to review and let me know what you think. And go read actresswithoutastage's work. She's got a lot of great things over on her page._

_Happy reading!_

Epilogue

The call came just after Dave and Sebastian had settled into bed. Thankfully, Paul had arrived the previous day and said he'd get the twins there when the baby had already arrived.

Amy was in labor for most of the night. Kendal finally arrived at 7:52 the next morning. Dave held her for a long time, just staring at her. She had been born with a full head of brown hair. Her eyes were dark, but seemed to have flecks of green.

"She's beautiful, isn't she?" Amy asked from the bed.

"Gorgeous." He walked over to her. "Are you sure?"

"Of course. I've told you." She brushed a finger down the baby's tiny face. "Hello, Kendal."

Sebastian came in. "Your dad's on his way."

"Look at her, babe." Dave passed her over.

"Wow."

"Yeah." He wrapped his arms around Sebastian's waist and looked over his shoulder at the baby in his husband's arms. "What are the twins going to think?"

"I hope they love her as much as we do." He kissed the baby.

A short time later, Paul and the twins arrived.

"Where is she, Daddy?" Jimi asked as he and Katherine hurried toward their parents.

"She's in the nursery." He took each of them by the hand and walked with them down the hall. He lifted Jimi up as Dave picked up Katherine.

"There she is." Dave pointed. "Our little Kendal Bailey."

"She's so pretty, Dad!" Katherine sighed.

"I think she's ugly." Jimi said. "Her face is all squishy and red."

"Her face won't be squishy for long." Sebastian explained. "And she'll be just as beautiful as you and your sister." He kissed the boy's cheek.

"Boys aren't beautiful, Daddy. Boys are handsome." He said adamantly.

"Yes, boys are handsome. You are handsome. Your sisters are beautiful. I'm sorry for my mistake."

"Can I hold her, Daddy?" Katherine asked.

"Not just yet, sweetie. She needs to rest." Sebastian explained.

"When do you get to take her home?" Paul asked.

"They've got a few more things to finish up. They think she'll get out of here about noon."

"Where's Amy?" Jimi asked.

Dave smiled and ruffled his son's hair. "Resting herself. But she'll be out of here today, too."

"Let's go get something to drink and maybe we see them in a bit." Sebastian put Jimi down and headed back down the hall.

They sat around the hospital all morning. The twins got to hold their sister and Paul got to take his turn. Granddad walked around the room with her and talked quietly to her. They visited with Amy and her friends who came to visit with her.

When they were released, they waited until Amy was loaded into her friend's car and headed home before they all headed out themselves. The twins rode with Paul in Dave's car. Dave and Sebastian put Kendal into the back of Sebastian's car.

They drove up to their house and were surprised to see several other cars parked in their driveway. All of their friends stood on the front lawn, several waving signs.

"What is this?" Dave asked.

"I have no idea." Sebastian answered.

Katherine and Jimi ran forward when they got out of the car.

"It's a party, Daddy!" Jimi announced.

His sister joined in, "A party for Kendal. They all brought presents. Can we open them?"

"Just wait, guys." Dave said with a laugh.

Sasha met them, a baby on her hip. "Benvenuto a casa." She said, kissing them both on the cheek. She leaned over the carrier Dave carried.

"Bambino!" Her son exclaimed, pointing at the baby.

"Bambina." His mother corrected.

He repeated it with a smile.

Mel explained, "You wouldn't ever let us give you a baby shower, so we decided to throw you a welcome home baby shower."

"We have almost everything we need." Sebastian explained as he hugged Emily.

Mitch smiled. "If I learned anything from having a surprise baby it's that you can never have too much." He wrapped an arm around his wife's waist.

"We didn't go too crazy. But just crazy enough for our new addition." Mel explained.

The twins loved having everyone in the house. And they were the ones who got to open the gifts and show them off. They never let their baby sister out of their sight, either. One or both of them had to be with her at all moments, even when she was taken upstairs to have her diaper changed.

The kids were all exhausted by the time all the guests left. The twins fell asleep easily. Paul wandered off to relax in the guest room with a sports recap show.

Dave and Sebastian stood in the doorway to Jimi's room. Katherine had crawled into her brother's bed and the both of them were curled together.

"Look at them, Sebastian. So sweet."

"Do you think they'll always be that close?" Sebastian wrapped an arm around his husband's waist.

Dave kissed him. "I doubt they will _always_ be that close. But I've heard a lot about the connections twins share being stronger than most other relationships."

Kendal started crying.

"My turn, I think." Dave said, stepping out of Sebastian's embrace.

"I'll go make a bottle." He pressed a kiss to his lips. "So glad I begged you to come back to me."

Dave smiled. "Me too, baby." He ducked into the nursery before the baby's crying woke the twins.

The End


End file.
